To be hunted by fire
by wouldbewriter23
Summary: Jack's seasonal siblings came to him with a request. Something that led him and his fellow Guardians into a battle more deadly and dangerous than the one with Pitch
1. Chapter 1

**Do not own the movie. **

Going to social events was not what Jack signed up for in joining the Guardians. Protect kids: defiantly. Give a good ass kicking to anyone who stood in the way of doing the first job:_ hell_ yeah. Go to parties: no. N. O. And it's not like he didn't enjoy socializing. He loved talking to anyone who would listen; it's just that other spirits didn't like socializing with _him_. In fact, they much preferred pounding him to a pulp to actually talk to him. So, when North informed him that Jack would need to attend a celebration dedicated to his addition to the Guardians, Jack made it is personal goal to avoid the Pole for as long as it took for North to forget the idea.

Unfortunately, his elder Guardian was nothing if not determined.

North just ended up sending the yetis and the sack again when Jack ignored his summons. Which is how Jack found himself poking his head out of the sack and staring up at his fellow Guardians. The winter spirit blew his bangs out of his eyes in an annoyed huff.

"You know, not every situation demands I get tossed in this god forsaken sack, North! I swear the yetis are mocking me, the shove the thing under my nose every time I visit." Jack slowly extracted himself from the sack, throwing irritated glares toward the Christmas spirit.

"You said you loved the sack!"

"Gotta teach ya the concept of sarcasm big man," Jack murmured.

"This wouldn't happen if you'd show up when we called, Frostbite," Bunny threw in from his place by the fire. Jack pondered the words as he took in the attire of his team mates. They were all groomed and dressed in what he assumed were party cloths.

"Oh, is that what this is about?" Jack turned on his heals before they could answer. Sadly, Bunny caught him by the arm before he got too far. "I don't want to go to a party!" He whined as the rabbit steered him back toward the others.

"Too bad, kiddo. We all had to go through it, and you are not wigglin' outa this. Now belt up, an' go with it."

"North set something out in your room. Oh Sweet Tooth, when was the last time you brushed your hair? It's so knotted! No worries, I'll run a brush through it, maybe some gel…." Jack starred at her in growing horror as she flittered around him, running frantic fingers through his hair in an attempt to tame it while she rambled on.

"Sheila, leave the kid be! Now come on, Frostbite. We've only got an hour before guests start showin' up and…." Bunny took a sudden sniff of the air, peering suspiciously around. "North, people aren' suppose ta be showin' fer another hour, right?"

"No, no. Party will not be starting for long time. Why?"

"Someone's here." Aster reached slowly for his boomerang, eyes darting about to detect the intruder. Jack finally pulled his arm out of the furred Guardians iron grasp, looking about for whatever had everyone so on edge. He recognized the other spirits signature a split second before the cry of 'Flying tackle!' rang through the air. It was enough time to dodge the slim body that would have slammed into his torso. Instead he stood by watching as the spirit slid across the floor, a hilarious _screeeeech_ following his face skidding against the tile. Jack barely managed to contain his laughter as the body finally came to a stop.

"I keep telling you that'll work better if you don't announce it before hand," another voice informed. Jack wiped his attention to the young woman perched on the railing beside them, watching the scene below her with a bemused expression.

"You don't understand the art of the flying tackle," the male spirit's muffled voice protested before he leaped up and pulled Jack to a head lock and wrestled him to the ground. The older Guardians starred in shocked silence as they tried to piece together what was going on. But when the mysterious male spirit pulled Jack to the ground, North decided the newcomer was a threat and drew his swords to deal with him.

Said spirit managed to pin the younger to the ground, straddling the boy before throwing his hands in the air with a joyous shot of 'victory is mine!', before turning to see a very sharp sword leveled with his nose. He gave a strangled shriek and rolled off of Jack.

"Holy sweet hell on a stick!" He shouted. "You don't go around waving swords in peoples' faces, you're going to take someone's eye out!" he pointed to his own eye for emphasis, giving Jack a pleading look as the sword was pushed closer to his face.

"North, it's fine. He's not dangerous." Jack placed a calming hand on the big man's arm, urging him to lower the weapon. North complied, eyeing the stranger with open distrust. The spirit – a youth in his late teens – ran a hand through his mop of reddish brown hair awkwardly, giving a shaky smile to the room. His eyes were a deep shade of brown that swept the room warily scanning for threats. He had a few inches on Jack and a similar physic, dressed in a pair of jeans and a modern t-shirt.

"So Frostbite, y wanna introduce us ta yer friends here?" Bunny easily identified both spirit as seasonals; the boy an Autumn and the girl a Spring. The young woman was a willowy beauty who held her-self with a regal grace that accompanied the slowing gown she wore. Platinum hair hung around her soft face in a halo. Green eyes signature of spring spirits eyed them in a similar way the autumn boy's did.

"Oh, yeah. This is Adam" a motion to the autumn spirit, "Willow,' a nod to the girl " and….. aren't we missing one?" Jack said after motioning to an empty space next to Adam.

"What do you mean…. Oh crap!" Adam shouted before bolting out of the room. Jack sent Willow a confused look.

"He locked Mara outside," she supplied, true amusement colored her voice.

"He didn't!"

"He did." The older Guardians glanced in confusion between the two seasonals, more lost than ever. The doors crashed open as Adam made his way back inside, stifling giggles at the girl who file behind him. She shook snow out of her curled orange-red hair, golden brown eyes glaring at the Adam. She had a body type that matched Willow's and was the only one of the three shorter than Jack. Adam walked over to Jack and tossed an arm over his shoulder while they both openly laughed at the girl's blued skin.

"It's not funny! I can't believe you _locked me outside_!" She shrieked, flames melting the ice and snow off her body. She clenched her jaw in rage as the boys doubled over, laughing so hard tears spilled over their cheeks. "Yeah, yeah. It's hilarious, laugh it up! Wanna know what else is funny?" Flames leaped at her finger tips at the cheered question, a mockingly happy smile lighting her face.

"Scatter!" The boys dived aside just before the fiery girl sent the flames flying at them. Deprived of their targets, the flames settled for the floor and wall where they'd once been. That snapped the Guardians out of their daze and into action fighting the flames.

"Mara!" Jack shouted accusingly.

"What, they're taking care of it?!" North whirled to face the girl. He stormed forward, swords once again drawn.

"You set fire to my _home_?!"

"Whoa gramps. Stress is not a good thing for a man your age," she warned. Adam gave a horrified look and smacked his palm to his forehead.

"Okay, Mar; if you're done destroying any chance we have of being social with these people –"

"There was a chance?" Willow interjected.

Adam gave a sigh and turned to Jack. "We gotta talk man. Important business."

"What kind of business?" Bunny asked, making his way past North – who was still red in the face at Mara's comment – to the cluster of seasonals.

"None of yours." The short remark came from Willow, who stared Aster down as if daring him to argue. Jack looked from face to face of the older teens and nodded, a look of grim understanding crossing his face.

"Guys, I'll be back in a sec," he promised, leading his seasonal brethren out of the main hall. The elders stared after them, minds spinning.

"What was….._that_?" North finally managed to sputtered.

Bunny ran a paw over his ears. He ran over what he'd sensed from the other three teens, thinking the evidence over carefully before answering. "Ah think we just me the other three seasons."


	2. Chapter 2

Bunny crept along the hall slowly, listening for any sign of the four elementals. He wasn't sure what set him on the defensive – possibly because Adam had introduced himself by assaulting Jack – but the winter child's grim expression was worrying his mind. He wasn't used to that type of look on Jack's happy face, and it set him on edge.

"You know we hate asking this of you." The voice drifted from behind the door to his left. Holding his breath, Aster made his way over and gently pushed the door open, just a crack so he could peak in. Jack sat on the bed, posture ridged and head buried in his hands. Adam sat crouch next to him, watching in concern while Mara lounged on the other side of the room. Willow paced the room gracefully, eyes on Jack at all times.

"Then why _are_ you asking me?" Jack's voiced was wrecked, and when he looked up his expression matched. Misery twisted his mouth and haunted his eyes that were misted with tears.

"We don't have any other choices, kiddo." Adam placed a hand on Jack's shoulder, gently rubbing his shoulder in comfort.

"No one else who can do anything is going to care. And this has gone on too long." Bunny's brow furrowed in confusion as he watched Willow's movements as she spoke. What was going on? What had Jack so upset? He pushed the door open further to get a better look….. and his vision was suddenly filled with Mara's blank face. Bunny gave a shrilled cry of surprise that he would deny for the rest of his days and stumbled back. Mara examined him while the rabbit righted himself, head tilted to the side like a curious animal and burning eyes trained on his every moved while he tried sputtering excuses.

"It's very rude to eavesdrop," she informed in a soft, child-like whisper. It sent shivers down the Guardians spine.

"I was – I was just wondering where Jack went. The part starting soon –"

"We're having a party?!" Mara's face lit up like Christmas and she through a thrilled look to the other seasonals.

"I'll be out soon, Bunny. I'll be ready for the party," Jack assured, face still the picture of utter despair.

"Don't worry, we defiantly won't hold him over for a party. Party party party," she chanted, giving a happy dance as she made her way back to the others, slamming the door in Bunny's face. The rabbit stared at the door for a moment before blinking and giving a shiver.

"This is why Ah don't spend time with elementals, creepy lot."

-Line Break – Line Break – Line Break-

Jack and the others finally emerged a good twenty minutes later. The young Guardian looked like the weight of the world was placed on him, but he no longer looked utterly miserable. North and Tooth immediately swept him off, the fairy franticly pulling at his hair in an attempt to wrangle it into place while North steered him away. Bunny watched in pitied amusement as the boy threw him pleading looks. His elemental siblings laughed openly, giving mocking waves while Jack glared at them. The Pooka Guardian watched them intently as the mulled around, eyeing everything in the workshop with single minded interest.

"So, Ah take it you lot are stickin' 'round."

"Yup. We never miss a chance for a party." Adam threw him a winning smile before turning back to the toy making process.

"Speaking of which, I'm going somewhere warm to change," Willow announced, vanishing in a gust of warm flower scented air.

"Dido." Adam followed suit in a similar display; a colder wind and the rustling a leaves accompanied his departure. Aster watched Mara, expecting a column of fire to signal her disappearance.

"Aren' ya leavin' too?" He questioned when she continued her study of her surroundings.

"Don't need to." She skipped down the hall, chanting 'party, party, party' in a singsong voice. Bunny gave another shiver; that girl gave him the willies. The rabbit flopped on the couch, watching the yetis set up for the party. His mind wandered back to the conversation he'd over-heard – the bit he'd picked up before Mara decided to play creepy. Whatever the other seasonals wanted from Jack seemed to deeply bother him; and frighten him. Bunny snapped out of his thoughts as North and Tooth led their youngest back to the main hall. Damming his flow of laughter, Aster took in the sight of Jack Frost forced into a tuxedo. It was a standard black suit, complete with a winter blue tie; his hair had been brushed into neatly into place and his face very thoroughly cleaned. Jack's annoyed scowl showed just how unhappy he was with his new outfit.

"Well, don't you look spiffy?" Bunny remarked from behind the paw he used to cover his smile.

"Shut up you stupid overdressed Kangaroo," the boy muttered, throwing a half-hearted glare at the rabbit.

Cold and warm winds swept through the hall, followed instantly by hysterical laughter. "Oh my god, that is the funniest thing I've ever seen!" Adam crowed, holding his gut as he doubled over. Adam had swapped his ragged jeans and t-shirt for black dress slacks, a brown-orange dress shirt and black jacket to match the slacks. Willow's definition of party attire seemed to be a fancier dress: this one molding perfectly to her form. She'd pulled her hair back into a braid the wrapped around her head, decorated with a kind of crown of flowers.

"I think he looks adorable," Mara announced, bouncing down the hall in a pair of tight jeans and blood read belly shirt, which she decidedly had _not _been wearing earlier.

"Uh, Mar? It's not that kind of party." Adam motioned between the attire of the rest of the room and hers with a lopsided smile.

"No?" She looked to Willow, and then Jack, who both made moves of agreement with Adam's statement. "Fine," she whined, doing a twirl as a tornado of flames whirled around her, leaving the summer spirit in a skimpy dress the same shade as her previous shirt, curly hair pulled back and out her face. "Better?"

"I like it." Adam studied her in approval, earning a jab to the ribs by Jack.

"So, when's the party starting?" The fire girl asked, wrapping an arm around Adam's waist and resting her head on his shoulder.

-Line Break – Line Break – Line Break-

By the time the party was in full swing, Jack was bored out his mind. The guest list ranged from the Groundhog to Cupid. The list of people Jack actually enjoyed at the party could be counted on both hands with fingers to spare. Christmas music played in the background of occasional chatter around the snack, but overall the spirits simply stood by staring at each other. It was not only awkward but mind numbingly dull. Adam made his way over to wear jack was leaning against the wall, crossing his arms and matching his pose.

"Dude, this party blows," he announced, earning a laugh from the younger boy. Jack opened his mouth to reply, cutting himself off as the music cut out.

"Sorry big man, but if I have to listen to anymore Christmas music, my head is going to explode," Mara's chipper voice announced. The boy shared a look and rolled their eyes at the smaller girl's antics. Loud, upbeat music boomed through the room, pounding the ear drums of anyone near the speakers. Mara danced her way over to the seasonal boys, swaying in time to the music as she studied them; and, with a deciding nod, snatched Jack's arm and yanked him to the center of the room to dance. Adam gave an amused snort as he watched his younger friends dance; twirling, spinning, laughing as Jack dipped his warmer counterpart and they repeated the process. Adam turned his attention to the Easter Bunny as the furred Guardian joined him on the wall.

Remembering the spring spirits snipped reaction to him pocking in seasonal business, Bunny he'd be better off questioning Adam.

"So, tell me. Are you lot always so….green?" He asked, digging for a conversation starter.

"What? Oh, yeah, we're a young group. Reflects our wild nature or something like that. Willow there's the oldest person I've ever met. Not including those outside elementals." Bunny directed his attention at the slim young woman watching Jack and Mara dance. While obviously older than her fellow seasons, she was hardly what would be considered an adult figure, barely out of her teens. "Me and Mar are about the norm age-wise. And then there are some of the rarities that range down to Jack."

"So, Jack's a young one, eh?"

"Oh yeah, even for elementals. Never met anyone younger." Adam stared hard at the rabbit, looking fierce and protective and promising a lot of pain if the other spirit failed him. "He's a special kid. You'd better take care of him." The fiery look from such a young face would have been funny if Aster didn't take the unspoken threat very seriously.

"I will."

"You better, I'm putting my baby brother in your hands." Bunny jumped at the comment; perfect opportunity to delve into what he over-heard.

"What would I be proctetin' him from? That thing you wanted him to take care of?" Adam gave him a hard look.

"Dinner iz ready!" North booming voice cut off any other questioning Bunny could dive into. Adam gave a cheer and bolted for the table, Jack and the others not far behind. The power of a teenage appetite; it never ceases to amaze. The other spirits slowly filed to their seats; Bunny took one next to Jack as yetis began setting out steaming food.

"Your friends are somethin' else kiddo." Bunny only felt able to talk in whispers, the chatter in the room too few and far between to allow anything else.

"Yeah," Jack didn't seem to get the hushed environment of the room, "they're great. We're almost like a family." Music sounded through the room once more, this time accompanied with Mara climbing on the table to demonstrate her dancing abilities. "Which is why there are times I really wish I didn't know them." The winter boy groaned, smacking his head on the table.

Mara swayed sensuously to the music, flames morphing her clothes to the original club outfit she had planned for the evening. All eyes were glued to her, expressions ranging from open disgust, to amusement; or in Adams case, hypnotic scrutiny of her every move.

"Hey, Jack mate, there somethin' goin' on between those two?" He questioned, motioning to between Adam and Mara.

"I prefer not to think about it. But yeah, that's the going theory." Jack stilled hadn't lifted his face from the table, making his words sound garbled.

"If you're done making a spectacle of yourself," an annoyed spirit gripped. Jack lifted his head and identified him as Cupid.

"Maybe you just need to learn how to loosen up, stuffy adult," Adam commented, climbing to stand next to Mara, swaying to the music next to her. "Seriously man, lighten up." The words were punctuated with a gust of wind that knocked the love spirit out of his seat. The two teens on the table giggled happily; even Willow gave and amused chuckle. Jack watched in growing concern of Cupid rose to his feet, looking incredibly annoyed.

"Maybe you should try dancing. It's good for you." Mara frowned when the other spirit only stared at her. "Dance!" She commanded, shooting a bolt of fire at his feet. Cupid gave a startled yelp and jumped away from the flame. Mara gave a chipper laugh and shot flames at the spirit in rapid succession, forcing him to do a parody of dance around the room. The three seasonals laughed in demented amusement as Cupid hoped about the room.

"Mara, stop it!" Jack demanded, climbing on to the table himself. Mara only continued laughing, leering at the love spirit as she sent bolts closer to his body, making his clothing smoke. Willow and Adam laughed harder, egging Mara on. "Stop!" The winter spirit slammed into Mara as flames began to lick at Cupid's shirt, throwing her to the table. The summer seasonal leaped up, fire outlining her body.

Sprits inched their way away from the table. No matter how young elementals appeared, they were the most powerful spirits the world had to offer. A conflict between two opposing seasonals was not something anyone wanted to be caught in the crossfire of. Even Adam put some distance between them.

"Mara….." When the girl spirit actually _hissed_ at him, Jack decided to change tactics. "You know that problem you want me to take care of? I'd hate for you to become a similar one," he whispered into the girl's ear, making it difficult for anyone else to hear. But hear it Bunny did, and his brow creased as the summer spirit's eyes went wide with shock and insult. She blew out a smoky breath and allowed the flames died down.

"Fine, be a kill joy." She jumped off the table and pulled Adam into another dance. Jack followed suit, making his way over to Cupid.

"Keep away from me!" The spirit hissed, shoving Jack's helping hand away. The boy gave a disappointed sigh and gave an awkward look to the shocked faces of his fellow Guardians.

-Line Break – Line Break – Line Break-

"What in the bloody hell was that?! Yer friend almost killed someone, Jack!" Bunny raged. The guests had left as soon as they were finished eating, not wanting to be around the volatile elementals. Which left Jack in the perfect situation for being chewed out. For his _friends_ stupid actions; he really failed to see how that made _him_ to blame.

"I know. Look, they're not bad people! They just…. don't think of right and wrong the same way we do."

"What is that suppose ta mean?!"

"It really means that we don't care what you think is right and wrong," Adam informed them as the other three seasonals made their way into the room. "You ever read 'Lord of the Flies'? It's kind of like that." The autumn spirit gave an annoyed huff at the blank looks sent his way, "Really? You guys gotta read more modern literature. It's not even that modern."

"We're a bunch of teenagers running our own society. I'm sure you can use your imagination," Willow explained, looking annoyed and bored.

"And I really wouldn't call it a society. There's not much of a hierarchy and it's really just whoever hits the hardest is in charge." Mara ran her fingers along the room as she spoke.

"Look, no one got hurt, and that's what matters. Can we please leave it at 'elementals are different' and be happy?" Jack pleaded.

"We need to be heading out anyway," Willow announced, vanishing without another word.

"See ya buddy." Adam ran his hand through Jack's hair before he too left. Mara hesitated, pulling Jack to the side by the arm. The older Guardians tensed, held off only by Jack's warning hand. Still, Bunny inched closer so he could hear.

"I'm sorry about earlier. Things got out of hand."

"Don't worry about it, Mar."

The summer girl chewed her lip nervously, looking uncomfortable before speaking again, "I'm not really like _him_, am I?" Bunny's ears twitched? What was this?

"Nah. Just figured that would snap you out of it," Jack assured. That seemed to wipe away Mara's worries, as she gave a smile before vanishing in the expected column of fire. Jack turned and ran face first into Bunny's chest.

"Jack—"

"It's been a busy day. I'm going to bed." Without another word, Jack set off to his room.

North ran his hand through his beard, looking concerned and confused. Tooth flittered around the room in a nervous fit, Sandy looking like he was a half second away from joining her. Bunny just stood staring after Jack.

"Ah don' like this. Somethin' is botherin' him. Somethin' other than his friend going psycho on Cupid." North hummed in agreement.

"Agreed. But, we cannot push. Jack will come around eventually," the big man assured. Going to the kitchen. The other Guardians looked at one another doubtfully, but put it aside and went to help North with the clean up.


	3. Chapter 3

There were eyes on him. He could feel them, stabbing into his back as he moved in the trees. Fire eyes. Fear spend through him; he felt cold – in a way that bothered him for the first time in his long life – and hyperaware of everything. The feel of twigs and leaves under his bare feet, every snap of a branch and rattle of the unnatural that resided in this place, the sound of his quick, frightened breathing that he could not control for the life of him. He wanted to run, everything in him demanded that he run, his legs ached to run; _he needed to get away from the eyes!_ Only recent memory staved off the need to bolt. Running was fatal.

He could see the edge of the trees; the faint outline that signified the barrier. Freedom, freedom was so close. He was going to make it! The promise of escape chased off reason and fear, sending him sprinting toward freedom.

Fire rained down on him. He could hear laughter and taunts even over his pounding heart as he darted cover. Heat slammed into him as the trees and bushes next to him burst into flames. Terror had had him scrambling about mindlessly, forgetting the direction of safety in the need to escape the fire. Fire, fire, fire _fire firefirefirefirefire, oh god_! He slammed into a low hanging branch, knocking him off his feet and out of his panicked daze. He sat up against the trunk of the tree for stability, tenderly feeling at his sore nose as his eyes darted about franticly looking for the threat. His nose was bleeding, but didn't seem broken. He couldn't see past the flames, _firefirefire_, he couldn't see through the heat, he couldn't see _him! _Jack climbed shakily to his feet, falling into a stumbling run as he darted away from the flames lapping at his tree.

A searing hand clapped over his mouth before he got too far, pulling him into an equally warm body. A long, strong arm wrapped around his torso when he tried to pull away, keeping locking him in a steel grip. Animal sounds of panic forced their way around the hand as he jerked about in the vice-like hold. It was too hot, he was burning,the monster had him_ oh god nonononono he had him no please no OH GOD NO! _The hand at his mouth slid down to his throat, fully releasing the string of whimpers from the young boy. The burning hand moved up again, forcing his to lean against the larger beings shoulder and leaving his neck open and vulnerable.

"Got you now, bird. Can't run now and I've got you." The graveled voice came from hot lips pressed to his ear, spilling smoky breath over his exposed neck. The boy trembled, more afraid than he could ever remember being. Fingers yanked at his hair in a kind of petting motion while the arm around him stroked his arms, spreading heat throughout his entire upper body before both hands flew to his arms and tossed him aside.

He soared through the air, his terrified brain unable to understand what was happening as he slammed into a large tree and fell to the ground. The air was crushed out his lungs, leaving him panting on smoked air while he stared at the advancing fire spirit through teary eyes. Coughing and shaking his head to clear his mind and vision, he cowered against the trunk. There was so much fire, everything was burning. But fear of the flames was dwarfed by the mind numbing terror of the other spirit closing the distance between them.

_Stay away from me, keep away keep away, nononono NO!_ He wasn't aware that he was speaking out loud, too focused on the grinning fire face that leaned over him, his final scream following Jack into the waking world.

-Line Break – Line Break – Line Break-

Jack had made a semi-permanent residence at the Pole in his brief time since joining the Guardians. He would return every night after spreading winter to the southern parts of the world, always in time for dinner with North. It was a mutually beneficial arrangement between the two; Jack got a bed and three warm meals a day, and North got to dote on the boy as much as he pleased, no matter how uncomfortable Jack was with the attention. The older Guardian was admittedly quite fond of the boy, and he loved every minute of having Jack in his home. So when Jack's terrified screams rang through the workshop, North jumped up and out of bed with speed one would not have thought him capable of with his size and age, ready to destroy anything that threatened his child with his bare hands.

He burst into the room just in time to see Jack detangle himself from his bed sheets. The boy curled into a ball, hand fisted over his mouth to hold off anymore screams as he trembled. North flicked on the lights, eyeing the remaining shadows suspiciously for threats as he made his way over to the boy. Jack was shaking like a leaf, sobbing into his knees, seeming unaware that his elder Guardian was in the room.

"Jack?" He rubbed calming circles on the boy's small back, urging the boy to look up. The winter child only crawled forward to North's chest, hiding his face into the big man's shoulder as he cried harder.

"Sorry for waking you," Jack whispered after his tears were spent, settling back on his knees to wipe away his tears and determinedly avoiding North's gaze.

"Nonsense. Was it a nightmare?" North was more than willing to hunt Pitch down for causing the child such distress.

"Memory," Jack corrected, voice still clogged with tears.

"Bad?"

"I don't wanna talk about it."

North nodded in understanding, running a large hand over Jack's snowy head. The younger seemed to think the retreating hand met the older man was leaving, latching onto North's arm with a cry of distress. "No no! Don't…. I don't…just please…." North gave the boy a reassuring squeeze, finally drawing the boy's gaze.

"Why don't we go down to my office, hmm? We have milk and cookies, look over new toy designs. Best work is always done in pjs." That got a laugh of the smaller spirit. North smiled at the accomplishment.

"That sounds nice." Jack slid from the bed with a small smile, eagerly following North out of the room. North kept Jack in a one armed hug as they walked down to the workshop, something the younger spirit would usually shy away from. The fact that he instead snuggled deeper into the contact was unnerving and concerning in itself, but North kept on a happy face, chattering about the new toys he'd been fiddling with. By the time they'd reached North's office, the child's eyes were already drooping. The older spirit ushered him to the armchair facing his desk, boasting about the designs littering the surface of his desk as their servings of milk and cookies were distributed. With his belly full and mind content that he was safe in North's company, Jack was out in seconds.

North smiled fondly from his work, getting up to drape a blanket over the sleeping boy's shoulders. He was deeply concerned for the boy; Jack never showed his emotions so openly. To see him break down in such a way, well, _scared_ the older Guardian. He hated to think what kind of past experience could affect the boy in such the way. He supposed the only thing to do was consult with his fellow Guardians come morning.

-Line Break – Line Break – Line Break-

"And he said it was a memory?" North nodded, causing Tooth to frown as she flittered about the room, occasionally tossing out orders to her helpers. The man had waited until Jack left for his duties before calling the others. Informing them of their youngest member's unsettling night had cut off any signs of fatigue from the night before and complaints of being called back to the Pole so soon. "He didn't have a flash back last night, I would have known." The Guardian of Memories had warned the others that snippets of Jack's past would pop up at unexpected times, either awake or asleep. To help him sort through the flow of memories, Tooth had set up a bit of a warning system to alert her to these flashes.

"Any chance it wasn' a memory? Ya know the kid doesn' really like talkin' 'bout his problems."

"Iz true, but Jack would not lie. And he was in no frame of mind to do so as it was."

"So maybe wasn' from his past life." Aster looked to the Tooth Fairy questioningly.

"If the memory wasn't from his human life, I wouldn't know anything about it," she informed them, looking distressed that she couldn't offer any information that could help Jack.

"It must've had somethin' ta do with whatever his bud's wanted the other night." That drew the undivided attention of his colleagues. "It was buggin' him all night. We gotta find out what they wanted."

"Jack won't tell us. He'll already be on edge after breaking down in front of North. If we start asking what's on his mind, he'll just run." Tooth darted about as she spoke, the need to help Jack filling her with more nervous energy than usual.

"Then we track down the other side of the issue. We find his little friends and get the scoop from them," Bunny decided firmly. Sandy tapped him on the shoulder, forming a question mark over his wild hair, asking if that was a good idea. "Ah'm not exactly thrilled 'bout seein' that lot, no. But we gotta find out somehow." The others nodded in agreement, no happier with the idea of another run in with Jack's seasonal brethren than the rabbit after the other night.

"What about Jack? If he finds out we're doing this he….. he won't like it," Tooth protested.

"Sandy will take care of him." Said dream spirit threw another question mark over his head, giving Bunny a look that clearly asked 'I will?' "Yer takin' him out fer spreadin' dreams tonight anyway, aren'tcha?" The Sandman thought for a moment, then gave a nod. "Well there ya go. Just take him out like normal – and don' let on that anything's goin' on—while we go an' talk with the others."

"Who are we going to talk to? I don't feel like talking with Mara." Tooth gave a shudder at the thought. The girl had been frightening even before she'd gone into a cheerful murder attempt.

"No, we'll avoid the fiery psychopath. The spring Shelia probably won' be much help either," Bunny mused, pulling on his ears in thought.

"So, Adam, then?" North decided. Aster nodded, thinking back to the look of fierce sibling protection. _'I'm leaving my baby brother in your hands; you better take care of him.'_ If they told Adam that something was wrong with Jack – if he'd didn't try to kill them, namely Bunny, for failing to take care of the boy – the teen spirit would be more than willing to assist them.

"Yeah, Adam." Cold wind blasted over then, signaling Jack's arrival.

"Hey guys, are we having another party? Please say no," the boy greeted with his usual cheeky grin. Sandy shook his head as he flew over, images of his and Jack's sand images and various dreams flying over his head. "Oh, already?" More images, moving much too fast for the others to decipher even if Jack did so with little trouble. "Yeah, it is night somewhere, huh? Well, guess me and Sandy are heading out, guys. What exactly are you two doing here anyway?" Even if the question wasn't asked with any suspicion, Tooth still froze up trying to think of an answer. Luckily, Bunny had no such problem.

"We're here ta raid North's left-overs. Not all of us get eat this good all the time, kiddo," he teased easily. Jack bought it with no doubts, returning the teasing grin with one of his own. Only Sandy tugging on his arm prevented him from giving a snide remark in return fire. He smiled at the little man and followed him out the window.

"Be back for dinner, Jack!" North called after them, rolling his eyes at Jack's distant 'yeah, yeah'. "What?" The big man asked at the amused looks from the remaining Guardians. They only shook their heads, Tooth flying forward to pat his arm fondly.

"So," the Christmas spirit boomed, still pondering what he'd said to amuse them so, "how do we find autumn boy?"

That stumped both Bunny and Tooth, who looked at each other in embarrassed concern.

-Line Break – Line Break – Line Break-

Since elementals had no set home – Jack's attachment to Burgess being the exception – they ended up having to search every part of the globe where Fall was starting before they caught sight of the other seasonal. It was time consuming, but effective. Adam was deep in the forest of Dean, overseeing the work of two other Fall spirits. His attention snapped to them in an instant, analyzing their intentions in visiting before throwing them a bright smile after deeming them friendly.

"Are we having another party?" The question was delivered with considerable more excitement than Jack's comment.

"No. But we must talk." North fought down laughter at the teen's pout.

"Yeah, sure thing. I could use a break from the pod twins anyway," the autumn spirit said with a shrug.

"The what?" North looked to Bunny and Tooth, seeing if he was the only one lost, as he often was.

"You know, pod people? 'Invasion of the'—never mind," Adam gave an exasperated sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose at the blank looks he recived. "You should really try getting out more. You ruin my jokes by not knowing this stuff." Adam turned to the other Fall sprites, both of whom stood inches away from him. They were matching girls, identical with long dark hair and blue eyes, standing at ridged attention with blank looks that were deeply unnerving.

"We finished," one said, voice soft and hollow. The girls gave the Guardians no attention.

"Great. Now go…. do the same thing. Over there," Adam pointed to another section of tress, and the girls turned in unison to follow his finger. They moved off without another word, seeming to float, shoulders always touching. "Creepy, huh?" The Guardians snapped their attention back to Adam as he spoke. "I'm gonna be stuck with them for the next two decades. So much to look forward to." His voice dripped with enough sarcasm that even North picked up on it. "So, what do you want?"

"Why do you think we want anything?" Adam threw Tooth an incredulous look and rolled his eyes.

"Well, Jack's not here, so I assume it's not a social call. Especially after last night; don't think I can't see the way you're looking at me." Like a potentially dangerous animal, that's how they were looking at him, "And you oh-so-grand Guardians don't come down from your palaces to see us lowly spirits unless you need something." It was harsh, but also very true. It was a bit of a jolt for the childhood spirits. "So, I'll ask again: what do you want?" Tooth had been a bit cowed by the explanation and North didn't seem much more likely to speak, so Bunny step forward.

"It's about Jack," that got the teenage spirit's attention, "and what you asked of him last night."

"What do you know about that?"

"That it scared him. And that he's been having nightmares since you talked to him." Adam chewed his lip, obviously conflicted. But his concern for Jack won out.

"What do you know about the summer spirit Kyden?" The forest seemed to come to stand-still at the name. The air was heavy with silence; it made Bunny uneasy.

"Nothin'; but Ah'm guessin' he's significant."

"You could say he's our version of the Boogeyman." Adam lounged against a large tree, pondering his words. The Guardians followed his example and settled on the ground.

"A long time ago, way before my time, he tried to tip the balance of nature in favor of Summer. Waged war on the other Seasons. And in our world, that's…that's a big no-no. It's punishable by death now-a-days. But back then, the Mother was more attached to the spirits She made. So rather than Unmake him for all the lives he took – a very terrifying process that I really don't want to get into; just piece it together from the name – the Mother locked him away. Trapped him in a vast oasis somewhere in the Sahara; he can't get out and no one is allowed anywhere near the place. No contact with the outside world; it's actually worse than death when you think about it.

"But, the thing is: over the last few centuries, there have been disappearances. Hundreds of them, probably more; we're not exactly the most tight-knit group, and no one else cares enough to do a head count." There was a collective flinch among the older spirits, which Adam either didn't notice or didn't care. "And these missing sprites have been linked to Kyden."

"But how iz that possible? If he iz imprisoned, how can he be to blame?"

"We don't know."

"Well who gave you this info. an' left out that oh so important detail?"

"Jack." The name all but stopped their breath, leaving the three light headed and their stomachs in knots of denial.

"What?" Tooth squeaked, needing to know she'd miss heard the boy.

"About fifty years ago, we lost track of him. And while we may not keep tabs on one another, the disappearance of a head seasonal is impossible to miss. Then about a year later, he just showed up out of nowhere; burned and beaten to shit, babbling like a crazy person."

"Babbling what?" Bunny pushed when the smaller spirit paused. Adam closed his eyes and took a breath, trembling with repressed emotions.

"'He killed us'. He kept saying that. Over and over. When we calmed him down enough, he told us that Kyden was responsible for the missing spirits, and that he was killing them."

"What was he doing to them?" Tooth's voiced trembled as she asked.

"He wouldn't tell us. I have no idea what happened to him, but he's never recovered."

"What does that mean?!" Bunny's voice was a wreck as well. The idea of Jack – his little Frostbite—having to go through something that traumatized him beyond recovery wasn't something that sat well with him.

"Any of you meet Jack, prior to the late 1960's?" North and Tooth shared guilty looks and shook their heads while Bunny hesitantly raised his paw. They hadn't been good encounters, but he'd had run ins with the boy. 'Prior to the late 1960's'….Bunny's heart froze. No…..

"Then you know he was different. I mean he was always a cheerful guy, but back then….. it was more of an innocent cheerfulness, you know." Adam seemed on the verge of tears, getting up to pace as he explained. "Holding onto your innocence is next to impossible, and not just with elementals. And holding on for 250 years, it's unheard of. But whatever happened with Kyden crushed that into powder."

Tooth gave a sob, Bunny's ears fell flat against his head, North let out a curse as he too began to pace. If the screams from Jack's nightmare were anything to go by, the boy's experience with Kyden was hell. A hell that, as Guardians, they should have protected them from.

"What does this have to do with what you asked of Jack?" North asked when he trusted his voice enough.

"Because of the Mother's orders, none of us are allowed in the oasis. So no one who really cares about all these people dying can do anything about it. But, as Guardians, you can, and you can punish the sick bastard."

"You want Jack to do this? You want to send him back to that monster, to the source of his fear?" Tooth asked in utter horror.

"Don't talk to me like that. It's really the only option left to us. No one else who can do anything _will_ do anything. I—"

"…don't like asking him to do this?" Bunny finished, quoting what he'd heard the autumn spirit say the other night. "Is that how you make yourself feel better? Is that how you sleep after placing this on Jack?! Knowing what he went through, even if ya don't have the details?!"

"People are dying! _My_ people!" The elemental snapped all traces of control gone. "Do you have any idea what it's like to know that the people around you are dropping like flies and that _no one_ will do _anything_ to stop it?! Because they _refuse_ to care?!" Adam was in full tears by the time he finished, sobbing and shaking as he tried to regain control.

"We will ensure the spirit responsible is punished appropriately. I swear it." North place a hand on the teen's shoulder, drawing him in a hug when he still couldn't stop his tears.

"Don't let him do this alone. Promise me you won't," Adam ordered when he pulled out of the hug, wiping his tears away.

"We won't," Tooth assured.

"I have things to do." It was a clear dismissal, which North and Tooth followed instantly; ready to head back to their youngest Guardian. Bunny, however, hung back.

"When did Jack…. escape?" He didn't want it to be true. Prayed with everything in him that it wasn't.

"What?" Adam's voice was still clogged with tears that still misted his eyes when he turned to face the rabbit. The sight so reminded Aster of Jack, sending an icy shard through his heart.

"What year did Jack escape from Kyden?"

"Why?"

"I just need to know." Please don't be true, please, please, please don't….

"I think it was just at the tail end of Winter, maybe the beginning of Spring, 1968."


	4. Chapter 4

Aster stumbled back to the sleigh in a numb daze. He avoided the gazes of North and Tooth as they looked up at his late arrival, words far beyond his capability even if he'd wanted them. The other Guardians thankfully recognized the signs of his need for privacy: Bunny was just as secretive of his thoughts and feelings as Jack was at times. As it was, they were much too caught up in their own guilt to pay attention to Bunny's. North and Tooth were lost in their own thoughts, trying to decide how to divulge what they'd learned to their new member and how to help him.

Bunny was trapped in a sea of his own memories. Clips of past interactions with Jack. Haunting words…_'burned'_…._'beaten'_…._'babbling like crazy'_…_'1968'_…. An Easter filled with biting cold and swirling snow.

The blizzard hit ravage most of the eastern United States and even traveled across the Atlantic to parts of Europe. When Aster tracked the source of the storm to the small town of Burgess, he'd pinned the blame on a certain winter spirit. Had it been any other day, Bunny might have thought things out more. He might have thought more about how strange it was for Jack to do something so destructive; the boy was always pining for attention when they'd crossed paths before. Any other day, and he would have thought of those things. But it was Easter, and Aster couldn't think of anything past his anger.

So, he hunted the boy down. And when he found him at his lake, Bunny was cold, tired, and still seething. He was not in the listening mood.

"Do you have any idea what you've done?!" He stormed up to the smaller spirit, boomerang in hand. He paid no mind to how Jack stumbled away from him, wary with a deep frown marring his usually bright face.

"I'm sorry….it's just…I need help." Jack's voice was soft, heavy with tears. He looked up at the rabbit, hugging his staff to his chest like a beloved stuffed animal. Bunny refused to see the vulnerability of the stance.

"Ya need help. You've ruined my holiday an' yer askin' me fer _help_?!" Jack flinched back, and thinking back on the moment, Bunny couldn't believe he ignored how small Jack looked. How _young_.

"I'm sorry. I couldn't think of anything else to do. Please, you have to—"

"I don' _have_ to do anythin'!" Bunny stormed forward, shoving his weapon under the child's nose. The wide, terrified eyes that swam with tears as he starred up at him did nothing to curb the Easter Guardian's rage.

"Just listen _please_—"

"I don' care what ya have to say! But ya best listen ta me: if ya ever, _ever_ mess with my Easter again, I will end you. Understand?" Tears spilt over bruised and cut cheeks, oh god had the boy really looked like that? Bunny took no notice at the time. He blatantly ignored the way Jack trembled and sobbed. Refused to see the yellowing bruises, the healing split lip or the cuts the littered his face. He could still smell freshly burned skin on the child, but he ignored it all in favor of his anger. He just snorted and walked off, leaving Jack alone and sobbing in the middle of his blizzard.

Bunny brought his head to his knees, running his paws over his ears, trying to separate what were his true memories and what were effects of his guilty imagination. But as he went through the memories over and over again, Aster found that it was not only impossible to do so, but worthless to try. Jack had been hurt, deeply, physically and psychologically, and he'd come to Bunny for help. And he'd done nothing to help. Aster felt all the air being crushed out of his lungs as tears slipped out of his closed eyes. Oh god. Oh _god_….

-Line Break – Line Break—Line Break-

The flight back to the Pole was quiet and tense. There was not a dry eye among the three; Tooth sobbed openly, hugging herself as she flew into the workshop, North and Bunny holding back from doing the same through sheer force of stubborn male pride. Jack and Sandy had not yet returned, and for that they were grateful.

"What are we going to say to him?" The question was so littered with sobs, it was almost impossible to understand it. "What are we going to say?" Even when Tooth got her breathing under control to ask again, there was no answer. What _could_ they say in the face of this failure? Sorry we left you vulnerable and alone, an easy target to a monster that tormented you for a year? That we didn't even know for fifty years after the fact? What could be said to all that?

"We tell him he iz not alone. And that we will help him." It wasn't much, but it was a start.

It was hours before the final two Guardians arrived, and even then North, Bunny and Tooth had no idea what they were going to say. Tooth volunteered to fill Sandy in, leaving a confused Jack alone with North and Bunny. "What's going on guys?" Bunny wanted to speak, should have been the one to speak, but the words refused to flow through the dam of his guilt.

"We spoke to Adam." North knelt to Jack's level, large hands swallowing the boy's stiffened shoulders. "And we know…we know what happened. About what happened with Kyden." North tightened his hold as Jack jerked to run. "Iz alright, son, iz alright!"

"Let go! You don't know anything!" Jack fought like a wild thing in the big man's grasp, slapping and clawing at the arms that kept him in place. Aster moved to North's shoulder, grasping the boy's face and forcing him to look at him.

"We know that he hurt ya, kid. And we know that yer friends asked you ta stop him from hurtin' anyone else." Jack starred wide eyed at the rabbit Guardian. North released the boy's shoulders, leaving him fully in Bunny's hands.

"I don't want to go back." The voice was so small, so scared… so much like the voice in a blizzard on a frozen lake. Bunny's heart gave a squeeze that almost toppled him over. He gave himself a ruthless mental shake. Now was not the time for self-pity and guilt; Jack needed his help.

"We'll help ya, kid. I promise we will."

Tooth interrupted any response from Jack, pulling the boy into a tight hug, running her fingers through his hair as she rocked him. Sandy looked ragged as he followed her in, floating over to North and Bunny with a devastated look. North grasped the golden man's shoulder, expressing his shared sorrow.

"We'll fix it Sandy, we'll fix it," Bunny assured as he hopped over. The three watched as Jack broke down in the fairy's arms, clinging to her back as he sobbed into her shoulder. The boy's cries had Sandy flying across the room to bestow his own comforting hug around Jack's waist. North was only a heart-beat behind, wrapping all three into his large arms. Only Bunny stood back, resisting the urge to join in the hug. He'd had his chance to comfort Jack through this, and he'd blown it. The only thing to be done now was make sure that monster never got his hands on the boy again.

-Line Break – Line Break – Line Break-

Jack refused to tell that the details of what happened to him, or to say much of anything. No matter how much Tooth, or North or even Sandy tried to pry the information out of him, Jack remained stubbornly zip-lipped. The silence in the sleigh was only broken by Jack's occasional command as he directed them to Kyden's Oasis. Bunny didn't know how to deal with this. He'd never seen Jack so subdued; it was unnerving.

"Just keep going straight. You won't be able to miss it," Jack directed as they flew over the blinding sands of the Sahara. Bunny made his way over to the boy, who kept his gaze firmly out on the horizon to his left.

"Jack," the winter boy turned to look at him, looking tired and scared. Aster took his hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze, "we're here fer ya. Ya got nothin' ta worry about."

"I don't think I can believe that," Jack said, voice hollow.

"Jack—" Bunny knew, had told himself many times, that Jack had no reason to believe they would take care of him. But to hear the child come to that same decision…. It was devastating.

"Do you even have a plan? Do you have any idea what you're going to do?" Anger seeped into the boy's, lighting them up for the first time in hours.

"Jack—"

"Cause I'll tell you, talking to him isn't going to work! So tell me what are plan is _and then_ assure me that I have nothing to worry about!" The other Guardians starred at the boy in shock at the out-burst. Aster opened his mouth. Closed it.

"We are here," North called, breaking the silence. All the righteous anger that gave life to Jack's face drained away, leaving him sickly pale. He took shuddering breaths as they landed, starring at the tree-line in front of them. The boy's description had been accurate; there was no way to miss the sudden over powering spot of green in the middle of the bland, sun-bleached sand.

"North." Bunny pulled the large spirit back as the others filed toward the trees. "What exactly _is_ the plan?"

"We find spirit and give punishment."

"Alright. Any _details_ to that plan?" North only smiled and walked off to join the others, leaving Aster to conclude there wasn't much of a plan.

The oasis was en-circled in a shimmering dome that gave off a slight pink hue. The others turned to Jack, who was staring deep into the trees with a mix of a kind of horror and weighted acceptance. He turned when he felt the stares of his fellow Guardians.

"It's how Kyden's kept in there. Kind of like a shield," he explained, turning his attention back to the depths of the forest.

"So….now what?" Jack gave Bunny a knowing glance at Tooth's question. Bunny bristled in annoyance.

"We go in there an' find this freak." Bunny marched forward only to be stopped short by Jack as the boy grabbed his arm.

"We can't go in there!" he cried in a panic.

"Jack, how else do ya think—"The rustling of approaching footsteps cut him off. Bunny crouched into a defensive position, pushing Jack behind him. The others followed suit, prepared to fight the spirit that had tormented Jack. What burst from the bushes was a scared girl not much older than the winter boy, dark hair matted with twigs and leaves, tanned face burned and cut, the remains of her clothes so tattered there was no telling what they'd once been. Her frightened eyes widened when she caught sight of them, relief shinning. She pushed toward them, babbling pleas rapidly in a foreign language. Tooth gave a cry of distress and made to fly forward and help the girl, only to be stopped by Jack in the same manner as Bunny had.

"Jack, honey—"

"There's nothing you can do, Tooth," he told her solemnly. Tooth gave him a confused look, turning back to the spirit making her way toward them. The girl was within touching distance of the barrier when a column of flames engulfed her. The relief in her eyes turned to utter terror and pain as she gave a shrilled scream that echoed in the air even as she was reduced to ash. The Guardians stood in shock, staring at the smoldering remains.

"Yes! The crowd goes crazy!" The voice came from a spirit perched in the tree at the left of what remained of the girl. His voice was low and scratchy, like someone who hadn't had anything to drink in days. He stopped his cheering laughter when he caught sight of the spirits looking in at him from the shield. A smile nearly split his face as he jumped down as he made his way toward them. "Hello there. Don't get visitors often; what do I owe the pleasure." His smile faded for a moment as he caught sight of Jack, creeping back in an unsettling grin when the boy's gaze locked with his.

The fire spirit was a good head taller than Jack, and had the physical appearance of someone in their late twenties. He had a muscular build rather than the lithe figure common among elementals. The spirit had a tanned, ragged face framed by chopped fire-red hair and a set of molten eyes that stayed fixated on Jack's face. Volcanic red met winter blue.

"What did you….why would you do that?" Tooth asked, eyes darting from the ashes to the fire man.

"Hmmm?" The spirit dragged his eyes away from Jack, and over to Tooth. "Oh, I was finishing the game."

"What game?" North spoke this time, bringing the fired gaze over to the big man. But, Bunny noticed, those eyes never stayed off of Jack for more than a second.

"Hide and seek. She was good, took me almost three months to get her. Nowhere near the record," eyes fell on Jack again, "but good."

"Why?" The question was laced with disgust and horror. That finally snapped the spirit's gaze firmly from Jack.

"Why? I was lonely. I was bored. She was stupid enough to wander in here. But, really just," he waltzed up, the barrier the only thing that separated him from theP fairy, "why _not_?"

"Yer Kyden." It was statement, but Kyden still turned to answer; ignoring Tooth, who looked on the edge of crying or losing her lunch, in favor of Bunny.

"I am. And _you_ brought me back my lost bird." Jack gave a shutter behind Bunny as Kyden's gaze fell on him again. That grin crawled up the spirit's face again, and Bunny felt a strong urge to march forward and smack it off his face. He settled for keeping a tighter grip on Jack and pushing the boy further behind him.

"Yer gonna pay fer what ya did."

"Am I? You see, I have to disagree with that."

It happened fast. One moment Jack was behind him, and the next he was slipping down and out of his grasp. Bunny whipped around, just in time to see Jack fall through the earth. The boy landed at Kyden's feet on the other side of the barrier, trying to scramble away as the fire spirit lifted him to his feet. "Yes, afraid I have to disagree. No more visitors now, bye-bye." Kyden twirled his fingers in dismissal, eyes never leaving Jack's frightened blues.

The shield's shimmering surface seemed to freeze, pink hue growing more solid and spreading rapidly toward the ground. Realizing the barrier was solidifying, Bunny charged forward. He'd promised Jack – and himself – that Kyden wouldn't get his hands on the boy again. And, by hell or high water, he was _not_ going to break that promise. Aster sprang forward with a cry, jumping through the shimmering barrier just before it froze shut, leaving the remaining Guardians trapped on the other side, banging against the wall. Bunny felt lightheaded and empty, like something had been ripped out of him in pasting through. The rabbit looked up at Kyden, who was holding a struggling Jack against his chest while the boy looked down at his fellow Guardian in open terror.

"Well now," the spirit said with the look of someone who'd found a bothersome animal in their kitchen, "this changes things." A foot connected hard with his temple before Bunny could respond, sending him instantly into the darkness of unconsciousness.

**And now things get real. Let me know what you think.**


	5. Chapter 5

The pounding in his head was the first thing Bunny became aware of as he stirred awake. He groaned, paw flying to the abused area as he pushed himself into a sitting position. His stomach curled in protest at the movement, and his head wasn't much happier but he managed it. Bunny looked around, holding his head while he studied his surroundings. He was lying in a clearing; the air was unusually hot and heavy around him, the sky tinted pink.

"Bunny." Jack's scared voice brought everything flying back. He jumped to his feet, yanking the boy up and behind him as he whirled around looking for the fire spirit. Kyden looked down at them form his uphill position, watching them with amusement.

"'Bout time you got your lazy butt up! You left me and the bird to amuse ourselves for_ hours_." Bunny gave a growl and worriedly glanced at Jack, checking the boy over. He looked tired and scared, but unharmed. Satisfied, Bunny went back to staring Kyden down. "So!" If the man was at all intimidated by Bunny's glare, he gave no sign of it, "I have idea to celebrate the first ever veteran member of this game," he smiled down to Jack, who shivered and gave a weak glare in return, "and while I'm not entirely sure how I feel about you joining in on all this, but I always say 'the more the merrier'. So—"

"We're not stickin' around fer yer 'game'!" The rabbit growled and, making sure Jack was secure in his arms as he tapped the ground. Nothing. Bunny looked down in confusion. Concentrating harder on the magic that connected him to his tunnels, he tried again. Still nothing.

"So, as I was saying. Not sure how I feel about you joining in, but I am willing to give it a go. As long as you stick with the bird, you get the same advantage he does. Twelve head start, starting…now! Go!"

"If you think Ah'm playin' along with—"

"Bunny, just come on," Jack pleaded as pulled on the other spirit's arm, trying to lead him into the trees.

"Jack, come'on mate. We can take him," Bunny complained, baffled at the boy's behavior. This was someone who went up against the Boogeyman without a second thought. What could Kyden have done to him that had him this scared?

"No, we can't. We have to go." More tugs at the furred arm.

"Best listen to the bird there, fuzzy. My patience with you is only gonna last so long."

"Fuzzy?!"

"Bunny, _come on_!" It came out as a full whine now, earning a startled glance from the older spirit.

"Twelve hours and counting. More like eleven hours and forty minutes by now, actually," Kyden tsked, shaking his head like as disappointed parent, "you are wasting the head start I gave you. You should be a little more grateful, no else in the game gets that chance."

"What sick game are you expecting us ta play?"

"Weren't you paying attention when I went over this with your flying friend? It's hide and seek. You hide, I find you, and then you die. It's easy. Now, _go_!"

This time Bunny followed Jack's frantic tugging, too shocked to offer any more opposition. That was what Kyden did with the missing spirits? Kidnap them so he could….._hunt them_. Like animals? Granted, Bunny was an animal, but that didn't make him any happier with the situation. Jack pulled his elder through the woods, throwing too many frantic looks over his shoulder to truly see where he was going. Once he'd deemed them far enough away, the boy finally stopped, leaning his head against his staff as he tried to control his breathing.

"Jack?" Bunny moved to place a paw on Jack's trembling shoulder, but the boy only jerked away and began moving forward again.

"We need to find a place to stay. We should only move during night, it's cooler and it'll be harder for him to see us."

"Jack—"

"But not until tomorrow," Jack continued, acting as if Bunny hadn't spoken, "he'll be expecting us to stay on the move. We hunker down for the rest of the day, then we make a break for the barrier."

"Frostbite!" That finally pulled Jack out of his musings. "Ah am not goin' anywhere until ya start explain' things."

"You're a prey animal, Bunny, shouldn't you have gotten the idea?" Jack spoke in a bitter mockery of the challenging tone he used in their banter. "He's hunting us so he can kill us in the most painful, fiery way possible. So since I'm the 'veteran' here, why don't you try listening to me, for once?" The boy set off without another word, leaving Bunny to follow in stunned silence.

He'd seen a large range of emotions on the boy's face since they'd come to know each other. But that bitterness and anger? That was as unnerving and unusual as seeing him quiet and scared.

It was almost sun set by the time Jack found somewhere for them to 'hunker down'. It was a small cave carved into a small hill, the opening covered by a pair of bushes. Bunny wasn't entirely sure how Jack found it. When they both slid in, Bunny was nearly heart-broken to see signs of habitation; the remains of an old fire, piles of leaves that could have been a bed, even some discarded clothing. They weren't the first to try and find refuge in this small cave. Jack settled on the other side of the cave, resting his elbows on his knees while he hugging his staff to his chest.

"Jackie," he kept his voice gentle as he made his way over to the boy's huddled form.

"You should get some sleep." Jack refused to look up as he spoke, finding his knees to be much better company, it seemed. Bunny snapped.

"Talk to me!" He grabbed both bony shoulders and gave them a quick shake to get the kid to look up. "What happened ta ya in here, kid?" he lowered his voice to a whisper. Jack looked close to tears and bit his lip as he mulled over his words. He swallowed the lump in his throat, and began.

**Alright. Next chapter we get into the meat of things.**


	6. Chapter 6

**We'll be in Flashback POV here for the next few chapters. Drop me a review.**

Jack wasn't sure how it happened; one minute he was strolling through Russia, giving the area one last blizzard for the season, and the next, he was falling. The world warped around him, becoming long and streaked, a cold wind—so unlike the breeze of his only friend – whipped around him, howling in his ears. The sickening free-fall came to an abrupt halt when he made contact with ground, leaving him breathless, dizzy and confused. What happened? As he climbed to his feet, Jack noticed as he studied his surroundings that this was most definitely _not_ Russia; and he wasn't alone. He'd landed in the center of a cluster of spirits, all looking just as scared and confused as he was. They ranged from air sprites to lower seasonals, all whispering and huddling together for safety as they examined the hostile environment they found themselves in. A slow, dramatic clap drew everyone's attention to the elevated ground to their left. And the fire spirit looking down on them.

"Well, now that everyone's here, we can get started," Kyden declared, looking pleased as he examined the group.

"What's going on here?" Jack heard a spirit call from within the crowd.

"I need something to keep me occupied. And you have all graciously volunteered your time to assist me in that." That drew a snort from the spirit, who pushed his way to the front of the clearing. The teen, a low level spring sprite, placed his hands on his hip and studied the fire man, lips pursed in annoyance.

"Who do you think you are? Bringing us here so we can what, 'amuse you'?" The spring teen huffed.

"Yes. It's a game." Now, Jack was a fan of games, of course, and usually would leap at any opportunity to participate, but he wasn't sure he liked the way this man talked about it. Or the way he kept looking at them; the sick grin plastered on his face as he studied them.

"What kind of game?" A timid voice asked, this one staying hidden in the crowd.

"Oh, I'm glad you asked," Kyden spoke in real excitement as he cupped a ball of fire in his hand and twirling the flames through his fingers. The spirits on the front lines of the crowd stumbled back, letting out frightened cries at the sight of the fire.

"You can't threaten us like that!" But the protesting sprite had lost most of his bite, cowering back in fear of the flames.

"My game. I can do whatever I want. And I will do whatever I want." The last part was said in low growl, a twisted light shining behind his yellow-red eyes. The crowd of spirits pushed tighter together, forming a tight ball of defense. Only the spring sprite stood apart from the others, still trying to hold his angry and defiant image. Jack pushed away from the spirits pressed against him, trying to get a better view of what was going on.

"You can't do this," the spring sprite was saying, sounding meek and small.

"You're getting annoying. And you can't tell me what I can and cannot do," Kyden snarled, tossing the fire in his hand about like a ball. "It's _my_ game, _I_ make the rules." The menacing glare directed at him had the spring sprite shedding all signs of defiance. The teen scrambled back with a whimper. "So, who wants to see how their day's gonna go?" Kyden was all smiles as he sent the orb of fire flying at the spring sprite's feet. Someone gave a shrilled scream as the retreating teen caught fire, hardly having time to register what was happening as he was reduced to ashes. Jack felt his stomach turn and bile crawl up his throat. The group swelled; some curling into a tighter ball while others darted toward the tree line. None of them took their eyes off Kyden or left the clearing, all but frozen in primal terror. "There, now there won't be any surprises." The fire spirit laughed manically as he spoke, observing the stages of panic in the faces below him with obvious amusement. "What you do next will decide how long you live through this game. The longer you last, the more fun it is for me, obviously, so….run," he suggested with a grin. Rolling his eyes when the crowed only stared at him, Kyden shot jets of flames into the center of the group. Judging from the pained screams cut terribly short, he hit a number of spirits in his little display. It did the trick.

There were more terrified shrieks and the group scattered. Jack made a beeline for the trees, colliding into several other spirits headed in the same direction. Fire rained down on them, incinerating spirits all around him. He tossed a fearful look over his shoulder and came to a stop as he saw a few spirits stop in an attempt to fight. They were taken out instantly. Jack's heart pounded in his ears, his stomach was queasy with terror. This couldn't be happening. Why was this happening?

Another spirit plowed into him while he stood gawking, trying to avoid the fire. The impact knocked him off his feet and sent his staff flying from his hand. He looked up in time to see her engulfed in the flames she'd been running from. Chocking back frightened tears, Jack curled into a protective ball as he was all but trampled by panicked spirits. Feet kicked at his back, sides and arms, never once stopping. Jack remained in his balled position even when the stampeding feet moved off, too stiff in his fear to move. He felt flashes of heat and heard more pained cries as spirits burned around him, Kyden chackling all the while. He whimpered and curled up even tighter.

He was knocked to his side when yet another spirit ran over him, this one falling to the ground to Jack's left. The winter boy finally rolled out of his protective huddle onto his stomach, looking into the eyes of the other spirit: another teenage boy, an air sprite, not much older than himself, dressed in fancy clothes of an older era. They stared at each other for a moment before the other boy jumped up, pulling Jack to his feet as well.

"No time to be lying around, man, we gotta go!" The boy sprinted forward, motioning Jack to follow. The younger boy snatched his staff from the ground and ran after the other spirit. The boy wrenched Jack to a stop as he passed the tree line. They stood panting as they hid behind the truck of a large tree, watching other spirits zip by – many going up in flames. He looked to Jack, forcing a smile. "You know, the sad thing is, this isn't the worst part I've ever been to." Jack gave him an incredulous look, then returned the other boy's strained smile and gave a small laugh.

"I'm Jack," he said, offering his hand. The older boy grinned and shook it.

"Fynn," he introduced. "I'd say 'nice to meet you', but under the circumstances that's more of an insult." That got another laugh from Jack, which Fynn joined with a strained one of his own. The boys forced down hysterical giggles as yet another young spirit burst into flames not two feet from their tree. "We've gotta find a better hiding spot," Fynn insisted, craning his head in search of suitable cover, while still reaming behind the relative safety of the tree. "There!" He announced, dragging the other boy behind him as he charged for their shelter – a small opening in a hill to their left (where, fifty years later, Jack would once again find himself seeking concealment from the same monster). The boys crouched in the dark, watching running feet and listening to panicked screams.

"So, Jack," Fynn spoke, looking over to the winter spirit, "you know, four eyes are always better than two. You wanna stick together?" Jack smiled and gave an excited nod, thrilled with the idea of someone actually _wanting_ his company, no matter the circumstances.

"What do we do?" He asked, instinctively looking to the older boy for direction.

"Well, I think we should just hang here. Until things die down."

"And then what?"

"One step at a time man. I'm not even sure we're gonna make it that far." Another flash and chocked scream had Jack wondering the same thing.

-Line Break – Line Break – Line Break-

They must have dosed while they waited, terror induced adrenaline not enough to keep them going. Jack jerked awake, the cape he'd been born in wrapped around him like a safety blanket and staff cradled against his chest. He blinked in sleepy confusion and groggily rubbed his eyes, the sound of approaching foot fall and sobbing snapping his attention to the world outside. He peeked up out of the opening of the cave, spying a pair of slim legs and flowered skirt of a female spirit.

"Come now, sister dear. I found you fair and square," Kyden crowed from further off. The girl gave a fearful gasp, spinning around and sending her skirt twirling.

"Oh god." The frightened voice launched Jack into action.

"Hey, hey, in here!" He whispered, sticking his arm out into the open to wave her over. His frantic whispers were enough to wake Fynn, who gave the winter boy a sleepy look of confusion. The girl whirled over to the sound of his voice, creeping over. Another playful call from Kyden had her flying into the cave.

Fynn jumped to the side as she slid to a stop, a girl in her early teens with a soft face and golden-red hair just above her shoulders and a pink tank to go with her skirt. Fynn scrambled back, pulling Jack with him.

"Are you out of your mind?!" He hissed, eyeing the girl with open distrust.

"What? She was in trouble."

"Do you know what that is? A _summer_ spirit. You know, like the psychopath hunting us?!"

"He's hunting me too, in case you forgot!" Jack threw a hand over her mouth as Kyden's calls grew closer. The fire spirit's feet came to a stop inches away from their hidden faces.

"Little sister," Fynn gave a triumphant look to Jack at the mocking call, "I know you're here. You can't hide." The feet moved off, still calling for the girl.

"See, she's probably even working with him. Kick her out!"

"He's only calling me that because I'm a summer spirit! It's a taunt you moron!" She protested, face red with irritation.

"Fynn, we can't just kick her out, he'll kill her."

"She's a fire spirit too; she'll just toss the fire right back at him."

"It doesn't work like that!" The boys looked over at her, faces questioning. "You two seriously haven't noticed? This place," she motioned to the outside area in agitation, "is blocking our abilities."

"So we're totally defenseless in here?" Jack asked, thinking back to the few spirits who'd tried to fight in the initial slaughter. Now that he thought about it, he couldn't feel the usual ever-present pull of winter. He ran his fingers over the rock wall of the cave experimentally. Nothing, no frost, not even a drop in temperature.

"Wait, the fire psycho's got his powers."

"It's the way Mother Nature designed the dome. Kyden keeps his fire abilities, but he can't leave."

"How do you know that?" Fynn questioned, suspicion still shinning in his eyes.

"I'm a summer spirit, remember? Kyden's story is practically Summer 101," she said with an eye roll.

"What are we going to do? We can't fight him and running is only going to work for so long."

Jack turned to Fynn, who looked just as lost at the younger boy under Jack's searching gaze. The summer girl gave a saddened sigh and hugged her knees as they sat in silence.

"Well, I don't know about you two, but I'm headed for the barrier," the girl spoke up as she rose to a stand.

"What good will that do?!" The air sprite's demand lacked its previous fire, lost in the sudden hopelessness off the situation.

"If Kyden keeps his powers but can't leave, it stands to reason that since we lost ours, we _can _leave," the girl reasoned, voice taking a scholarly tone. The boys shared a look, hope sparking. Jack jumped up as the girl moved to leave, grasping her arm.

"Wait… why don't we stick together?"

"What?!" Fynn demanded, angry fire and distrust flying back with the optimism lighting up the situation at the possibility of escape.

"It's not like was have a better plan! And if we're all headed the same way, we might as well go together. Six eyes are better than four," he insisted, cutting off Fynn's protest. The older boy settled back in grudging acceptance, giving a pout at having his words tossed back at him. Jack smiled and turned back to the summer girl. "So, want to stay together?" The spirit chewed the inside of her cheek in thought, then nodded with a small smile. "Great! I'm Jack, this is Fynn."

"Cassandra," she replied, smile growing.

"Welcome to our survival group," Fynn said with a sigh to show his acceptance of her inclusion. "So, what's the plan, Miss Summer-expert?"

"I say we wait a little longer, just to make sure he's really moved off, and then we follow the sun to the western edge of the barrier."

Jack and Fynn thought for a moment, then nodded in agreement. It was the only plan they had, after all.


	7. Chapter 7

It was too hot. That was all Jack could think of: the oppressive, terrible, burning heat. It wasn't even a dry heat, which would have been a least marginally tolerable, but a humid heat. The kind the clung to your clothes and seeped into your bones, weighing you down with so much moisture that water dripped from you. The three had been walking for the majority of the day and Jack had reached his limit of physical exhaustion. His head pounded and his stomach ached. The slow pace Cassandra established did nothing to help, simply dragging out the torture. Fynn was in a similar boat; panting and sweating buckets. Only Cassandra seemed unbothered by the heat, moving with little trouble as she crept through the trees.

"We gotta find water," Fynn rasped, urging their march to a stop. Jack nodded in agreement as he slumped against the nearest tree, gasping for air and shaking. Cassandra studied the two, and then gave a nod.

"If we find a stream, we could follow that to the edge. Maybe even find some food," she suggested, sinking to the ground next to the boys, who both had all but collapsed.

"Food sounds good," Jack mumbled, eyes slipping closed as his worn body demanded rest.

"Not as good as water," Fynn remarked. Just the word had all of their throats burning. Fynn looked at the pale boy on the verge of blacking out against his shoulder. The older boy nudged his shoulder in an attempt to dislodge the younger. "Come on, buddy. We'll sleep when we get there," he insisted, dragging the smaller boy to his feet. Jack groaned in protest at the movement, clinging to Fynn as his legs gave out.

"My legs won't work." He stared in confusion at the faulty limbs. Fynn eyed him and shot a concerned look toward Cassandra. The air sprite felt Jack's clammy forehead with a frown while he awkwardly kept the other boy on his feet.

"I don't get it. I mean, the heats bugging me, too, but….."

Cassandra moved forward, examining Jack's sickly pale face and pulling at his white hair. Her eyes lit up in realization.

"You're a winter spirit, aren't you?" Jack gave a dazed nod.

"Oh, well that makes sense. That's not good." Fynn looked at the summer spirit in panic as Jack wilted in his arms.

"We've got to get him to water."

"How do we even _find_ water?" Fynn questioned, feeling heat stroke settle heavily on him as well.

"Water'zat way," Jack slurred, raising a heavy arm to point to the left. The other elementals stared at him in bafflement.

"How do you know that?" The summer girl asked, giving him a skeptically bewildered look.

"Water's my thing; frozen water. I know."

Fynn gazed at the smaller boy with a frown, and then shrugged.

"Good enough for me," he decided. "Lead the way, buddy. I'm thirsty."

Jack gave a laugh, while Cassandra smiled and shook her head. Fynn kept the winter boy upright as he directed them; either through faint instructions or sluggish gestures. Even cut off from Winter, Jack felt he could still sense the water with absolute certainty. Sure enough, the sound of rushing water filled their ears, and in a matter of minutes the came across a river. It was the most beautiful thing any of them had ever seen. Fynn lowered Jack to the ground, and then charged the brook, shedding clothing as he went, and dove head-first into the water with a joyous cry. Cassandra shook her head in bemused annoyance as she flicked handfuls of water over Jack's face, reviving him from near unconsciousness before taking grateful drinks herself.

"Hey, Cassy!"

Cassandra turned her annoyed gaze to the boy bathing in the stream.

"Oh, so we're on a nick-name level now, huh?"

"Well, you just saw me naked; it seemed appropriate. Come on in, the water's amazzzzzzing."

"Doesn't sound like half a bad idea," Jack croaked as he dragged himself to the water's edge. Alternating between bringing scoops of water to his mouth and dumping them over his head, Jack gave a sigh of relief.

"Feeling better?" She asked, giving him a concerned once-over. Jack smiled and nodded. The cool water soothed his throat and cleared his head. He did feel better, even if he still felt exhausted and ill.

"No time for skinny dipping," she announced. "It's too exposed out here. And we're already drawing too much attention." She sent an accusing look at Fynn, "We should move back into the trees. You, out," she ordered, crossing her arms as she stared the boy down from the edge of the river.

"Yes, ma'am." Fynn rose and strolled over to his clothes, not a care of how uncomfortable his nudity made the other two spirits.

"Well there's a sight I'm going to have burned into my retinas for the rest of eternity," Cassandra complained, turning away as Fynn retrieved his discarded clothes.

"You act like it's a bad thing," he joked.

"It's not particularly _impressive_," she shot back, giving a smile as she walked back into the trees. Fynn sent Jack a shocked and insulted look as they watched the girl walk away. The winter spirit only shrugged.

Once the air sprite was fully clothes, they followed Cassandra back into the trees and set off once again, always staying within sight of the river. The heat drove them back to the water multiple times on their trek, slowing their progress even more than their gradual pace. By the time Cassandra opted to settle for the night, they'd hardly put any distance between them and the clearing.

Daylight vanished fast, leaving the three in total darkness in a matter of minutes. The temperature dropped just as rapidly, going from miserably hot to just above freezing. While Jack relished the cooler air, Fynn and Cassandra trembled in the cold.

"What do you guys say to a fire?" Fynn asked, teeth chattering in the extreme temperature change. Cassandra shook her head, opening her mouth to answer when a shriek from further in the trees cut her off. It was pained and short, signature of Kyden's attacks. Another followed, just as short and frightened.

"Not if you don't want to end up like them," she whispered sadly.

"We should sleep in shifts. I'll stay up first; the heat didn't bother me as much." More screams made it difficult to picture sleep, but the boys moved to lie on their sides. Lingering heat exhaustion sent Jack to sleep the minute his head hit the ground.

-Line Break – Line Break – Line Break-

The days passed in the same way. Agonizing slow pace along the river, pained screams in the night. It was awful, but the three picked up a pattern. Move a mile a day if they were lucky, hunker down just before dark. The screams in the night became little more the background noise.

Even with the access to water, heat stroke was still a problem. Jack was on the edge of collapse at the end of the day, and Fynn was barely any better.

"We need a new plan, Cassy," Fynn decided as he tried to revive Jack from his second faint in as many weeks.

"I know," she sighed, pouring handfuls of water over the winter teen's head. The cool water only brought him to enough awareness to groan unhappily about the heat.

"Hey look at this, I found food."

"Don't eat those!" She managed to shout before Fynn shoved a handful of red berries similar to raspberries.

"Why, what are they?" He held the berries away from his body cautiously, as if they were prepped to explode in his face at any moment.

"No idea. That's why you shouldn't eat them." Cassandra left Jack to get his own water as she walked over, examining the fruit in Fynn's hands and the bush he'd gotten them from. She plucked one from his hands, then gently rubbed it against his lips.

"Hey! What are you doing?" He demanded, jerking his head back.

"Testing for a poisonous reaction, now stay still, and stick your tongue out." Fynn complied without hesitation, allowing her to dab the berry onto his out-stretched tongue. "Feel anything?" She asked, checking his lips and hands for any signs of irritation on the skin. "Alright, you can go ahead and eat one now," she said when the older elemental shook his head. Fynn warily popped a berry into his mouth and chewed it ever so slowly. His eyes lit up.

"This is the best thing I've ever tasted." He promptly shoveled the remaining handfuls into his mouth, feeling more aware and energized than he'd felt in days. Fynn strolled back over to bush, plucking another two handfuls and passing one to Cassandra as he walked over to Jack. "Here, bud, eat these. It'll make ya feel better." Jack timidly took the offered fruit, eating them slowly, unsure of how his queasy stomach would take to them.

"You know, I haven't really _needed_ to eat in years," he said with a laugh as he ate the fruit with gusto, relishing in the refreshing effects of the juicy berries.

"The heat makes it so we need more sustenance to keep our bodies functioning," Cassandra informed as she crouched down next to the boys, enjoying her own share of berries.

"You know, I love how everything you say sounds like it comes out of an encyclopedia," Fynn joked, snorting laughter along with Jack.

"You should be more respectful," she jibed, sticking her tongue out with a laugh of her own, "my 'encyclopedia knowledge' got you those berries." Cassandra paused for a moment, brow furrowed in thought. "Oh! I can't believe I missed it; I'm so stupid," she exclaimed, face alight with inspiration.

"Care to share your thought with the rest of the class," Jack threw in.

"We're in a desert!" She announced, as if that cleared things up.

"You're just now catching onto that? I thought the miserable heat was a bit of a giveaway," Fynn snarked. Cassandra only rolled her eyes at the air sprite's comment.

"No, I mean: everyone knows that when you're lost in the desert, you're supposed to sleep during the day and move at night, 'cause it's cooler."

"Just a walking encyclopedia."

"Quit yanking my chain and pay attention to what I'm saying, Fynn!"

"You think we should start moving at night?" Jack asked, mind still fuzzy with the heat. His heart leaped when Cassandra nodded. "I'm on-board. I am so _sick_ of this heat."

"Have you been paying attention to what happens at night?" Fynn's comment effectively killed Jack's optimistic attitude, haunting screams in the dark rushing to the front of his mind.

"We'll be moving. Everyone else stops at night, sets up fires to stay warm; it's how he find them," Cassandra explained.

"You don't know that. Who's to say that us moving around at night won't draw his attention? No, bad idea."

"You're the one who said we needed on new plan!"

"Well, now we need a new new plan!" Fynn sighed, shaking his head. "I don't think we should risk it, we need to think of something else." The air sprite walked back into the cover of the trees, settling down for the night. The two younger spirits looked at each other, and then sighed and went to join him. In the end, it really was just too big of a risk drawing Kyden's attention just to avoid the heat.

**Updates are going to be a bit more infrequent here with school starting back up. Sorry, I'll do my best.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Some graphic images ahead, tread carefully.**

They sat in a circle, staring at one another, sleep far from their minds as the unusual silence of the night crushed them. There was not a single noise in the night; no shouts, no sounds of animals, nothing. It set the three even more on edge than the constant cries of fear and pain. It was strange: that the quiet would be more unnerving than the screams that normally echoed in the trees. No one made any attempt at conversation; even the sound of their breathing seemed too loud.

Fynn jumped when Cassandra moved to cuddle into him, nerves fried in anticipation of an attack.

"What are you doing?" He asked, perplexed.

"Huddling for warmth; it's basic survival."

Fynn shrugged and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, drawing her welcome body heat closer.

"It's so quiet," she whispered, bringing the all of their thoughts to light and chasing away the terrible silence.

"It's a good thing, right?" Jack asked, looking at the other two hopefully. "I mean…. it just that he hasn't found anyone else. Right?" Cassandra and Fynn refused to meet his gaze, not wanting to convey the horrible alternative. Their silence did enough. "There was… there were hundreds of spirits in that clearing. There's no way… he couldn't have possibly gotten to them all," Jack insisted, looking at the older spirits in desperation.

"He was taking them out by the bucket load, man. I think he could very well have gotten to them," Fynn said, voice heavy with tears.

"No…. he just hasn't found them." It was too horrible. It couldn't be true.

"Jack," Fynn finally looked up, eyes glistening in the star light, "you're an optimist, I respect that, but even you can't really believe that." Jack looked away, hugging himself.

"NO!" The scream came not far from them, a young girl by the sound, terribly clear in its close proximity. It curled their stomachs in terror and guilt as they could do nothing but listen. "HELP! Somebody please!" Fynn clamped a hand over Jack's arm as he bolted up, eyes set in the direction of the scream.

"There's nothing we can do, man. Getting ourselves killed won't help anything." He pulled the smaller boy to the ground next to him, giving his shoulder a reassuring squeeze.

"HELP!" the girl screeched once more before falling silent. The three sighed heavily, guilt clenching in their hearts even if there truly wasn't anything to be done. They prepared to settle into sleep when the girl's screams returned. They were high and drawn out, unintelligible pleas mixed in with the cries. It went on and on, pained and scared. The three stared toward the sound, mouths gapping in horror.

"What's he _doing_ to her?" Cassandra breathed her heart freezing with every agonized cry.

Fynn tucked her tighter against his side when she clapped her hand over her ears in an attempt to block out the sound. He did the same with Jack as the boy continued to gape, tears slipping over his cheeks. The younger boy quickly followed Cassandra's lead and he buried his face into the air sprite's chest, trying to hide from the world that suddenly seemed so unbearable. Fynn rubbed the younger boy's back, wincing at every scream. It was going to be a long night.

-Line Break—Line Break—Line Break-

Fynn slept not a wink that night, offering comfort to his younger friends and having no free hands to block the dreadful screams that lasted much of the night. The smaller spirits dozed lightly against his chest, unable to fully sleep in their fear and horror. As soon as the sun rose they set off, determined to put as much distance between themselves and the source of those screams as possible. The heat took more of a toll on Jack by the day, and when their thirst forced them back to the river, the winter boy once again collapsed on its banks.

"Cassy, why don't you give us some privacy. Me and Jack are gonna take a dip; don't want any more naked images 'burned into your retinas', huh?" Fynn said with a tired grin. In truth they all need a good cleaning. The three looked a mess, covered in twigs and grime. They looked like the survivors of a natural disaster; clothes ragged and torn, young faces weighed down with hundreds of sorrows.

"Never said it was a bad image." She smiled back, walking off to give the boys their privacy. Fyn sighed and stripped down and helped Jack do the same before guiding the boy into the water. They relished the cool water, avoiding eye contact, minds lingering on the horrors of the night before.

"That girl is something else," Fynn finally said to break the silence. Jack looked up and smiled.

"You like her, don't you? You know; like, _like_ like her?" Fynn grinned at the childish term, as well as the twinkle that erased the sorrow from the younger boy's face.

"If you mean I'm very physically attracted to her, then yeah." The air sprite laughed at the way Jack's face screwed up in distaste. "Are you still in that stage where you think girls are gross?" He asked, wading to the shore and pulling his clothes on. The problem with dipping in the river in the wet heat of the oasis was that there was no way to dry off, so his clothes clung uncomfortably to his damp skin.

Jack shrugged and climbed out of the water. "I've never really thought about it," he mumbled, earning another chuckle from Fynn.

"When this is over, I'll teach you all about girls," he declared, tossing a companionable arm around Jack's shoulders. "You know about the birds and the bees, right?" Before Jack could express his horrified distaste, Cassandra's shriek rang through the air. "Cassy?!" Fynn cried, tearing off through the trees with Jack in tow. Jack's mind raced, images of flaming spirits filling his mind. Oh god, that couldn't happen, not to Cassy, not to his friends. No, please.

The boys came to an abrupt halt when they found the girl. Jack almost sobbed in relief when he saw she was unharmed, doing an odd kind of dance as she whirled around, slapping at her shoulders and back.

"What happened?" Fynn cried as he rushed over, grabbing the girls shoulder's to stop her jerked movements so he could check her over.

"There was a spider!" she shrieked, eyes still wide in fear.

"A spider? You gave me a heart attack over a _bug_?!" He demanded, giving her shoulders a shake.

"It was a _big spider_!" She defended, voice cracking at the end. Fynn released her, throwing his hands up in exasperation. "I gave you a heart attack?" She asked coyly as the older boy's words caught up with her. Fynn looked at her in annoyed confusion for a moment before a mortified blush crawled over his cheeks.

"I meant us! You gave _us_ a heart attack," he corrected, motioning between himself and Jack. "Over _a bug_!"

"It was a big – OH MY GOD, THERE IT IS!" She screeched, pointing behind Jack. The boy whirled around, bringing his staff up in automatic defense. To be fair, it _was _a big spider; the thing looked akin to a tarantula, and was damn-near the size of Jack's face. The thing crept down the trunk of a tree, skittering across leaves toward the three.

"Okay, I'll admit; that's a big spider. But remember, they're more afraid of us than we are of them." To make his point, Fynn stomped forward at let out a loud, intimidating cry, trying to look large and threatening. However, rather than dashing away, the spider reared up and actually _hissed_ at them. Fynn gave a startled cry and scrambled back. The thing advanced them, front legs still in the air as it hissed again. Jack gave it a whack with his staff, knocking the arachnid into the bushes. There was another hiss and the scuttling of bushes and then quiet. The teens stared in confusion for a moment, mouths hanging open as they tried to process what happened.

"Let's just….go," Jack insisted, moving off to do just that.

A hiss to his right alerted Jack to the presence of the apparently _mutated_ spider just before the thing leaped at him from a tree trunk as he passed. The three raced away as the spider proceeded to actually _chase_ them, a fear nearly equal to the one of Kyden pushing them as fast as possible.

"God, I _hate_ this place!" Cassandra yelled when they finally lost the spider, smacking a nearby tree in her rage.

"Well, if it make you feel better, your fear of that thing was actually justified," Fynn tried to joke. Cassandra's horrified scream whipped the smile right off his face and had both boys rushing over to her once again. The cry from the spider was nothing compared to the sound that tore its way out of her throat now. And, as the boys saw the cause of such a scream, it was just as justified.

Hanging from the trees, impaled by a large branch through the chest, was the remains of a spirit. It may once have been a girl, but there was so little left to truly be sure. The spirit had been all-but skinned; only some charred flesh around its face remaining. Chunks of long hair hung around its face, its eyes the only things fully intact, wide open and starring ahead in fear in pain, dulled in death. Fynn turned Cassandra's face from the sight as she sobbed into his shoulder, only able to stare in horror-filled fascination. Jack felt sick to his stomach, looking to Fynn for some kind of explanation. How could this have happen? Why? Rustling leaves marked rapidly approaching feet. Fynn pushed the two spirits behind him, crouched in anticipated defense.

But rather than Kyden, an older female spirit broke through the bushed, armed with a bit of a make-shift spear. She came to a sudden halt at the sight of the three, studying them in shock. She would have once been an attractive girl; at the beginning of adulthood, maybe about twenty, with dark hair matted with twigs and leaves and eyes that shinned with near madness. She turned to the remains in the tree, a sadden look coming across her face.

"Oh, why didn't you just listen…" she whispered, grief heavy in her voice.

"You knew her?" Fynn asked, still keeping himself between Jack and Cassandra and the stranger.

"Not before this. We were traveling together."

"Are there others?" Jack asked hopefully.

"There were." The sorrow in her tone spoke of their fate.

"Look," Jack called, stopping the woman as she moved to leave, "the three of us are making a break for the barrier. We think we can get out, do you want to come with us?" The woman looked at him in a kind of pity.

"We though the same thing. Back when there were nine of us. Me and her," she motioned to the body, "were the only ones to get away." She moved to walk away again, stopped, and turned back to the three. "A word of advice: split up. Groups only get his attention faster." She chewed her lip, hesitating, looking like she deeply regretted to continue. "He liked the young ones." With that she walked off, leaving the three teens to mull over her words in cold dread. They studied one another. Even by elemental standards, they were unusually youthful; none of them looked a day over sixteen. Cassandra raised a trembling hand to her mouth, stomach churning in uneasy and heart heavy with dread.

"He's going to do that to us," she whispered in terror, looking to the body in the tree. "He's going to do that to us." Hysteria colored her voice and Fynn walked over to comfort her.

"Don't think like that!" Jack hastened. "We…we've got to get out. We are going to get out," he said with as much assurity as he would muster. The other two didn't seem convinced. They sank to the ground, creeping away from the mess in the tree, more terrified than ever as the woman's words rang through their heads.

"Okay," Fynn said, pulling everyone from their own dark thoughts, "the way I see it, we have two choices: we can stick to the plan, and stay together; or, we split." Jack looked between the two in horror. He didn't want them to leave him. They were the first beings to ever give him the time of day. They couldn't leave; Jack couldn't live through this by himself. He couldn't do it alone.

"I don't know about you two, but I'm sticking to the plan." Cassandra looked up, conviction and new strength shinning in her eyes. "I am not just going to run around in here and wait for that bastard to kill me. If I'm going to die…I'm going to die trying to get out of here." She was panting by the time she finished, all array of emotions running through her. The boys looked at her for a moment.

"It's not like I have a better plan. And four eyes are better than two," Fynn sang, nudging against the girl with a grin. They both looked to Jack; the youngest boy stared back, tears shinning in his eyes.

"I'm the one who suggested going together. No way you're leaving me now." The fear of abandonment showed in his word no matter how hard he tried to hide it. The other spirits' faces softened and Cassandra gripped Jack's hand comfortingly.

"Together then," Fynn decided, placing his own hand over Jack and Cassandra's joint hands. "To the end. The bitter, probably fiery, agonizing end." The youngers looked at him in bemusement.

"Way to ruin the touching moment," Cassandra muttered, giving him a glare.

"Hey, if it helps: there's no one I'd rather meet my fiery doom with." Fynn wrapped both arms around the two with a smile. Jack and Cassandra returned it, feeling at peace and safe despite the circumstances. "Alright, let's go." The three stood and marched past the body, steadily avoiding looking at the mangled mess. Jack came to a stop in front of her, sorrowfully looking up at her. It was the girl from the night before; the one who'd called for help, he was sure of it. He couldn't have helped her, he knew that, but he couldn't help but feel guilty. He reached up to the girl, her head just within reach, and pushed her eyes closed.

Vines swarmed his hand, wrapping around his arm and pulling his closer to the tree. He gave a cry, hoping to call his friends back as more vines latched onto him. Fynn and Cassandra came charging back, taking a moment to stare in shock before rushing forward to each grab one of his shoulders, trying to yank him away from the tree.

"Here, keep holding him," Fynn instructed, leaving Jack in the girl's hands as he moved to the trunk of the tree, pulling out a knife to slash at the vines. "You frickin' damsel, what are we gonna do with you?" He muttered as he cut, earning a glare from Jack through the boy's terror.

"Oh, what have I caught now, hmm?" Kyden's voice called. It was distant, but too close for comfort. Cassandra and Fynn worked in a frenzy to pull the younger boy free. Finally, Fynn cut the last vine and Cassandra pulled the winter boy away, falling to the ground with the sudden lack of resistance. Fynn rushed over and pulled both spirits to their feet, yanking them into the trees as Kyden's playful calls came even closer.

They ran until their legs gave out, leaving the river far behind and losing the direction of the barrier edge in their need to get away. The three lay there panting, trembling in fear. Fynn rolled to his side and looked at Jack, offering him the knife the older boy used to free him.

"Here," he said, forcing it into the boy's hand, "you need it more than I do." It was only partly a joke. Jack took it gratefully, tucking the weapon into his trousers.

"We can't go back to the water," Cassandra decided, climbing to her feet. "Kyden knows we're using it, and we're probably not the only ones. He put the girl there to tell us he knows."

"So now what? If we can't go back to the river, we have no water," Jack informed, throat already burning from the mad dash away from Kyden and the idea of being cut off from liquid.

"We travel at night," Fynn announced. Jack and Cassandra looked at him, confused at the change in opinion. Fynn shrugged at the looks. "We'll need to if we can't get to water." Cassandra nodded in agreement.

"Yes!" Jack cried joyously, falling back to the ground. No more hot days. Things were looking up.

**Sorry for any grammar mistakes. Too tired to try and find them. Review please, it warms my heart **


	9. Chapter 9

Traveling at night was, in Jack's opinion, the best call they could have made. While the lack of water was still a problem, at night it was manageable, the resilience that came with being a spirit making it so they could do without either food or water. The teens stuck to a similar schedule they'd set for the day; they took shifts sleeping at the first light of dawn – or Cassandra and Fynn did as Jack went into a near comatose state during the day time hours, something that almost gave the older spirits heart attacks when he first did it – after finding adequate shade from the troublesome sun, and set out once more at the last light of day. The cooler temperatures made it so they could travel much farther distances, although the total darkness in which they now trekked still slowed their progress to only a couple miles. It was another two weeks before they came within sight of the shimmering barrier, having lost the constant guidance sticking to the river had given them.

"What are you doing?" Cassandra asked from the shade, watching Fynn hop about in an attempted rhythm. Jack, on the edge of his usual unconsciousness, watched with tired interest.

"I'm trying to do a rain dance," the older boy explained, going about the hopping motion of his dance once again. "Those clouds are just itching to pour down the water," he declared, glancing up at said clouds expectantly. Jack gave a short laugh, and after another few minutes of watching, forced himself to his feet to join his friend.

"You're both idiots." If Fynn's 'rain dance' was a sight to behold, Jack's exhausted attempt to mirror it was even more so. The winter boy's sluggish limbs made the already uncoordinated dance even more clumsy. But Jack put all his effort into his efforts, laughing all the while.

"Come on, Cassy! Join the team effort." The girl watched them incredulously, then made her way over with an exasperated sigh. The boys cheered as she half-heartedly mimicked their movements. Then, quite surprisingly, rain _did _being to pour down on them. "Hah!" Fyn exclaimed, sending a triumphant look to Cassandra's bewildered face. "What did I tell you?!" He celebrated by pulling the summer girl into the rain, twirling her about in a happy dance. Jack joined in for a time, tipping his head back to catch the water as he danced before exhaustion had him stumbling back to their cover. He lay watching them, and for years after this was how he would always remember them: dancing in the rain, happy and care free despite the horrors they had undergone.

For once in his long life, Jack felt true contentment.

-Line Break – Line Break – Line Break-

The next day they came to the barrier's tinted edge. Dawn was just breaking, lighting up the sky in soft golds and pinks. They stood in bafflement along the tree line, staring at freedom, so close. Cassandra looked to the boys, relief bringing tears to her eyes.

"We made it." It was just a whisper, as if saying it louder would break a wonderful dream of freedom.

Fynn grinned back at her, "We did." Fynn seemed just as timid to raise his voice above a small whisper. The older boy gave a laugh. "We made it!" This time he yelled it, earning excited cheers from his younger companions.

"Race ya!" Cassandra announced, charging out of the trees toward the barrier. Jack and Fynn shared a laugh and gave chase.

The heat was still draining the boys' strength, and even with the lingering cold of the evening they were still slowed to the point where they were several paces behind the summer spirit. Which was why there was no chance to stop the attack.

The world seemed to crawl to a near stop when Jack caught sight of him. Kyden stood just out of their sight, leering at them in twisted excitement. The winter boy was too far from Cassandra, only able to call a "Look out!" as a warning as he tackled Fynn to the ground. It wasn't enough. The jet of fire caught Cassandra in a glancing blow, knocking her off her feet. The girl gave a startled cry as she fell. She lay trembling in pain on the ground, the whole left side of her body severely burned.

"Cassy!" Fynn cried, scrambling up as Kyden strolled over to the downed girl. The fire man gave the boys a cold smirk, stopping them both in their tracks. Cassandra sent them a terrified, pleading look that had both spirits rushing toward her once more, fear for their own safety blotted from their minds. Kyden's grin grew and, keeping eye contact with the advancing spirits, he set stream of fire at the girl's prone form. Cassandra gave a pained cry as the flames engulfed her. The boys came to a horrified stop, gaping at the ashes. "Cassy!" Fynn cried again. Jack stood staring, frozen in disbelief. It wasn't possible. That couldn't have happened. Not to Cassy, not to his friend. No, no, no, no….

Kyden's molten eyes focused on them once more, snapping Jack out of his dazed denial. He jerked on Fynn's arm, pulling him away as the fire spirit advanced them. "Fynn, come on, we've got to go!" He insisted. The air sprite broke out of his own paralysis and followed the younger boy into the trees. They ran until the barrier was once again blocked by the trees.

They sank to the ground, leaning against the trees for support, grief gripping their hearts so tightly they couldn't breathe. Cassy: the voice of reason, the cheerful, know-it-all, rock of their group. They were dancing in the rain just the other day, and now she was just…gone.

"We're not getting out of here," Fynn whispered dejectedly.

Jack tried to swallow the lump that wedged itself in his throat. "Fynn, you can't think like that! We have to get out of here." He grabbed the older boy's shoulders, forcing him to look up. Mournful tears spilled down both their cheeks. "If we don't get out of here… Cassy, all the others, they'll all have died…. and no one will know." Fynn looked at the younger boy, lost and hopeless. Then he gave a sad sigh and climbed to his feet, scrubbing at his cheeks. Jack tried to give an encouraging smile – which came off more as a grimace – and gave Fynn's shoulder a reassuring pat.

Jack saw the vines wrapped around the trees twist and slither about the trunk. He only had an instant to comprehend the movement – and for his heart to clench in dread – before they bound the older boy. Fynn gave a cry of surprise as he was yanked back against the tree.

"NO! Fynn!" Jack darted forward, pulling the dagger Fynn had gifted to him and frantically cut at the vines. His heart sank into his churning stomach, cold fear filling his entire being. No, he'd already lost Cassy. He couldn't lose Fynn too.

"Well now, what have we here?" A taunting voice called from further in the trees. "Two little birds, caught in a tree." Jack slashed at the vines desperately. More grew to replace what he cut, wrapping tighter around the boy in their grasp and wandering to ensnare Jack's hands. Fynn's freed hand clasped with Jack's, stopping the winter boy's frantic movements.

"There's nothing you can do. Just get out of here." Jack pulled his teary gaze away from the vines and to his friend's dejected stare. He shook his head, trying to jerk his hand out of his friends grasp to get at the vines holding him. "Jack, it's not worth it for us both to die."

"You're not gonna die!" Jack's voice was so panicked and clogged with tears Fynn could hardly hear the protests. "We have to get out of here. We have to tell people. We have to make sure they all didn't just die and….you're supposed to teach me about girls!" Jack was sobbing by the end, pulling at the vines in despair. He could hear the crunch of leaves from Kyden's approach. He looked up at Fynn, who was crying just as hard. "Don't leave me. I can't do this by myself," he begged, tears falling in a never ending stream down his chin. Fynn gave a sob and cupped the smaller boy's face with his free hand.

"I'm sorry." He gently pushed his forehead against Jack's. "If you die in here, I will haunt your ass. You understand me?" He cried in an echo of his old humor.

"Fynn—"Jack didn't get a chance to finish as the older boy shoved him back, knocking him off balance and falling to the ground. He looked up as Fynn and the tree were consumed by flames. He gave an unintelligible cry of despair, sobbing. Kyden strolled past the burning tree, looking down at the winter boy.

"And then there was one," the man laughed. Jack rolled as the man sent a jet of flames at him, tumbling down hill before coming to a jarring stop. The boy scrambled up and dove into the bushes, trying to calm his sobbing as he hid. "You know, I'll give credit where it's do," Kyden said playfully as he passed the bush, "if I'd taken bets, I never would have put my money on the _Winter_ guy to be the last man standing." The fire spirit's feet paused in front of Jack's hiding place for a heart-stopping moment before moving on. "And you are the last one, little Snowbird. It's been just you and your merry band for weeks now." Jack held back terrified sobs as a sense of utter isolation settled on him. "So, because I'm impressed, I'll make you a deal. You see, I've been waiting to get at you three for weeks and I've got a lot of pent up excitement. I missed a lot of fun by just roasting your friends, which was totally worth it for the look on your face!" Jack balled his fists in sudden rage, fighting to keep quiet. "There are many things—rather unpleasant things on your part—that I am dying to try out. But, like I said, I'm impressed, and I'm ready for this game to come to a close. So, I'll tell you what: if you come out now, I'll make it quick and….. relatively painless." Rage died under mortal terror. The man gave a sudden growl when Jack made no move to show himself. "Fine! You want to do it this way, that's fine with me! But believe me, when I find you I am going to RIP YOU OPEN!" He promised, shrieking hysterically as he demanded Jack to 'come out now, you little piece of shit!' Jack lay trembling as the man moved off, still screaming. He only crawled out when Kyden's calls completely faded.

He hugged his knees to his chest, crying and shaking in grief in fear. He was alone. Fynn and Cassy were gone and all the others – those hundreds of spirits – had been slaughtered in the night. And now he was next, _oh god he was going to die he didn't want to die_… NO! He was not going to die. He was going to get out. He was going to tell what had happened in this hell. He looked up from his knees, unfolding from his protective ball, determination shining in his eyes.

Kyden was going to pay for what he'd done.


	10. Chapter 10

**I'm back! I apologize for the delay, school is murder. **

**Alright, so there seemed to be some confusion about Fynn. Fynn was an air sprite, meaning he was a low level nature sprite who dealt with the air, namely creating and directing wind. He was not a seasonal, like Jack and Cassandra. Hope that clears things up.**

**Mild suggestive themes ahead.**

Jack was on the move for months after Fynn and Cassandra were…. after he lost them. He came within sight of the barrier multiple times during those months, but any sudden sounds had him scurrying back the safety of the trees. Terror haunted his every moment, his every thought. It destroyed his nerves, kept him jumpy and wary of any noise or sudden movement. His mind was a whirl-wind of panic and the need to survive. The mix set a fog over his mind, blocking all thought and emotion for days at a time. In all that time, Jack never saw Kyden, never heard him. The woods themselves were always deathly quiet. No more screams rang through the night.

The absence of any sound was far more frightening than the fire man's manic calls for Jack to show himself.

He stood at the edge of the trees, staring at the shimmering wall that kept him in this hell, weighing the risks. He scanned the trees on either side—no sign of the fire spirit. That did very little to settle his frayed nerves.

Jack crept out of the trees, glancing about warily like a frightened animal. He shivered, swearing he could feel eyes on him. Could feel them stabbing into his back, scanning him; two molten orbs. Watching him. It made him sick. It made him want to run. Only the memory of his friends going up in flames kept him at a steady pace. He was too close to blow it now.

He could practically hear the wind calling him; freedom was so close, he wanted it – to get _out _– so badly. The call and the stabbing feel of eyes on his back was enough to forgo safety and sent him sprinting toward the barrier. He was going to get out. He was going to make it!

A tree to his right caught fire, then another to his left. Searing heat washed over him, his left side exploded in burning agony. Jack gave a cry and dove to the ground, eyes darting about as he tried to find the threat while he checked his arm. It was burned, badly, everything from elbow to shoulder a sickening black and red, reeking of burnt flesh. He could hear laughter, the insane laughter, but all he could see were flames. Everything was burning, the very ground was on fire, the flames creeping toward him on all sides. Jack scrambled to his feet, sprinting to the only section of woods that wasn't a burning inferno. He could hear Kyden's voice playfully calling for him, but he couldn't make out the words over the crackling of roasting trees. Heat overwhelmed him, hot air filling his lungs and chocking him as he ran. Terror clouded his thoughts; he _couldn't_ think past the need to get away.

He didn't pay any attention to his path—other than ensuring it led him away from the flames – too busy throwing panicked looks over his shoulder. The pounding of his heart made it even more difficult to breathe, his panicked breaths not getting any air to his oxygen-deprived lungs. His vision went blurry, both from panic and light-headedness. Jack didn't see the tree blocking his path until he ran head-long into the lowest branch with a sickening crack. He tumbled to the ground, holding his aching nose. His pale hand came away bloodied, but his nose didn't feel broken.

Jack got to his feet, taking steadying breaths. He was outside of the ring of flames, and he still couldn't see Kyden. The thought nearly sent him back into a panic. He crept along the trees, hugging his staff to his chest in an attempt of comfort as he studied the surrounding trees. The prickling of the hairs on his neck alerted him to Kyden's presence just before the man grabbed him. One hand slapped over his mouth as another had wrapped around his stomach, pinning his arms to his sides at the elbows and pulled him against a hot, hard body. He shuddered in fear tugging at the hands that held him, whimpering against the hand over his mouth. No, no no no please. He had him, Kyden had him, and he was going to kill him, rip him open and burn him and kill him, no please!

He choked back sobs when the hand over his mouth trailed down to cup his jaw for a moment before wrapping gently around his throat. The hand gave his neck a teasing squeeze and forced his head back until it rested against a hot shoulder. Hot, smoked breath spilled over his neck while something slick and warm slid from his collar bone to his ear. The other hand slid into his shirt, burning fingers skimming over his chest. Jack shuttered in disgust bit his lip against the flood of tears that threaten to overflow him. He would not weep like a helpless baby. He wouldn't give Kyden that.

"Got you now, my Snowbird. Can't get away now, can you?" Kyden's hand slipped from around Jack's neck back to his jaw. Jack jerked, but the fire spirit's grip was steel, so he did the only thing he could think of. Bit into the flesh of Kyden's hand.

He could taste blood and the man's pained cry sent a bolt of triumph through him. It lasted only a second as Kyden sent him flying through the air. His body slammed into a tree and to the ground, crushing the air out of his lungs. Jack lay on the ground, panting, forcing his heavy body up as Kyden approached him. The man looked amused, if a bit annoyed, and eyed the winter child like a piece of meat to be devoured. Jack cowered against the tree, holding his staff up in defense even though there was no power behind it.

"You _bit _me," he stated, shaking his head in bemusement. "Two can play at that game, little bird." Kyden's hand met his cheek in vicious back-hand, burning his cheek and sending him back to the ground with a cry. Kyden loomed over him, giving him a rough kick to the ribs and drawing out another scream before forcing the smaller spirit onto his back and pinning his shoulders to the ground. There was hot breath on his neck again, and then pain as Kyden sank his teeth into the skin just above his shoulder. Jack gave a cry, kicking his legs and bucking his body as he tried to force the fire spirit off him, but the large man kept him down with little difficulty. Kyden gripped his arms, burning imprints of his fingers into the younger spirit's arms. Jack gave another pained yell.

"Now, where do we start this?" the man mused, paying no heed to the boy under him as Jack finally lost the battle with his emotions and openly sobbed. "Wouldn't you know it, I can't think of where to start. I mean, I know how I want to _end_," he settled his weight more firmly onto Jack, one hand moving down to caress a slim hip and harshly gripping the boy's thigh, "but I don't know how to start. Isn't that a pickle?" He spoke in a light conversational tone, even while his hand roamed the smaller spirit's body. "I guess we could always start with burning." Jack screamed as the roaming hand slipped under his shirt, pressing firmly into his chest scalding his skin. "That certainly sounds fun, but it's also a bit old." Kyden hummed, tapping his chin with one hand while the other ran through Jack's snowy locks, leaving the boy's arms free. Jack moved his hands ever so slowly to his belt, keeping his frightened gaze on Kyden's face. Said face lit up and a thrilled smile grew. "I know!" The man leaned forward, cupping Jack's face in both hands, their noses almost touching. "We can start by carving those pretty, pretty blues right out of your head," he declared in glee. Jack felt around desperately, fingers closing around Fynn's knife as Kyden's claw-like finger traced his left eye. "Now, you'll want to stay still, bird. This is gonna hurt." Jack slammed the knife into Kyden's shoulder with a cry, shoving the man off him as he jerked in surprise and pain. Jack scrambled to his feet, grabbing his staff and making a dash for the barrier.

He pushed himself to go faster as he heard Kyden lumber to his feet behind him and give chase, cursing and promising pain. Kyden's burning grip closed around Jack's cloak. The boy wrenched, tearing the cloak a sending him pitching forward. He tumbled head over heal and came to an abrupt stop in a billowing cloud of dust. He laid staring dazed at the sky for a moment before the terror of the situation had him clamoring back to his feet to face Kyden's rapidly approaching figure. The man was crazed and furious, spouting curses and snarling as he ran. He came to a sudden stop not a foot from where Jack stood frozen, head snapping back as he flew back, landing jarringly on his back. Jack stood gapping uncomprehendingly, trying to piece together what had happened. He studied forest in front of him, finally taking in the pink-tinged shimmering of the barrier. He stood just outside of the oasis; he'd made it out.

Kyden climbed to his feet, walking slowly to the barrier until he stood just in front of Jack, the shimmering wall barely keeping them separate. He gazed in disbelief and amazement, mouth gapping open in an almost comical way. He stared at Jack, who looked just as shocked.

"You…you got out," he whispered, blinking like he expected to wake from a dream. His face turned face turned in anger. "You're not supposed to get out! That's not how this works!" He lunged forward, fist raised to strike. Jack bolted, unable to realize that Kyden couldn't get to him through his lingering terror. He ran, the hot sand backing the soles of his feet, until the oasis was just a dot in the distance.

-Line Break – Line Break – Line Break-

"I just ran," Jack finished, keeping his eyes firmly on his pale feet. "It didn't occur to me that I could fly until I collapsed. My feet couldn't carry me anymore.

"I flew as fast as I could to Mother Nature's domain. Scared the crap out of the search party they were setting up – would have been really touching any other time—and tried to tell them what happened." Jack gave a bitter smile, finally looking up. "Apparently I wasn't in the best mental state, or physical one. I passed out before I could really tell them anything coherent."

'_Babbling like crazy…'he killed us'…..'_ Bunny remembered with a shudder, staring at the boy in front of him with abject horror. He knew it would be bad, but he never thought _anything_ could be _that_ bad.

"I came to a few days later, finally got the whole story out. And, wouldn't you know it," he laughed again, something akin to a sob following. Jack looked down again, hastily wiping away tears, "they can't do anything about it. Kyden's 'protected', no one can go near him." Jack stopped for a moment, fighting to get his tear-clogged voice under control. Bunny spoke before he could continue.

"So you came to me," he whispered, more guilt than he ever imagined possible freezing his heart.

"Yeah. I know the blizzard was a bit much, but I couldn't think of anything else to get your attention. Nothing else ever worked." Was it possible to feel any more guilt? "I just thought… I mean, they were still kids, technically…" Apparently it was.

"Oh god…." Bunny buried his face into his hand, feeling sick. How could he have failed so much without ever realizing it? He'd not only cruelly turned Jack away when the boy was hurt and needed him, but basically spelled out for him that the traumatizing deaths of his first – his _only_ – friends meant absolutely nothing, to Bunny or anyone else. His stomach churned.

Jack broke down, sobbing as he hugged and rocked himself, looking every bit the child he was. "Jack, Ah… Ah'm so sorry."

"I don't want apologies, Bunny. It's been too long for that." Jack turned away, curling in on himself, scrubbing at his tear stained cheeks. The rabbit guardian gave himself a mental slap and pushed into Jack's line of sight, gently gripping his shoulders.

"That's too bad; you're getting' it." Bunny took a breath, forcing the guilt and horror to the back of his mind for the moment. There wasn't any time for it now. "Look, Jack. Ah wasn't there fer ya. Ah failed ya, Ah…. Ah didn' care. An' there's no excuse fer that. There's no excuse….." He took another breath, gently touching foreheads with the child who stared at him in rapped attention. "Ah'm sorry fer what happened ta yer friends, Jack. Ah really am. But Ah swear ta ya, he will pay fer what he did, and he will never, get his hands on ya again." That was one thing that Bunny would make absolutely sure of. He wasn't sure if Jack's lack of an emotional response to Kyden's….—there really was no way to soften it, molestation of him—was just an affect of his shock or if he really had no concept of the what the older spirit had intended for him, and probably still wanted, but he did know that he would never let the sick bastard get the chance. He gathered Jack into his arms, rocking him slowly as the boy cried into his chest. "It'll be alright, Jackie. It'll be alright," he promised over and over again, making the vow to both Jack and himself. He'd failed in protecting this boy for over three hundred years, and that stopped today.

-Line Break – Line Break – Line Break-

Kyden lounged in contentment, watching the sun sink with a twisted grin.

"Game on," he declared when the glowing orb fully disappeared.


	11. Chapter 11

**Yeah, it's been a while. I apologize, immensely. The guilt only got worse the longer it took to write this chapter. Don't hate me!**

**Annnnnd onward, I bring you an extra-long chapter to make up for it. **

**More disturbing material ahead**

"Just let it out, Jackie," Bunny soothed, gathering the boy to his chest as he trembled and sobbed. He held the winter boy as he worked through his trauma; it didn't matter that his grip was a little too tight, threatening to yank out handfuls of fur on the rabbits back. It didn't matter that cold tears – and snot – were seeping into his soft fuzz of his chest. Aster forced aside his discomfort and annoyance as he concentrated on comforting the boy in his arms, tucking Jack under his chin as he shushed him.

"I'm sorry." Came Jack's muffled apology.

"Not a problem, kiddo. Take as long as ya need," the elder promised, rubbing soothing circles on the boy's back, and if his own voice was thick with tears, neither Guardian commented on it. The assurance launched another fit of sobs, the boy curling up on Bunny's lap as the tears flowed.

It took a while for Jack to cry himself out, clinging to the over-sized rabbit as he screamed and cried for his long dead friends. When half a century of contained grief and trauma comes pouring out, it tends to come in a bit of a flood. Bunny held him just as tightly, trying his best to comfort the boy as he truly mourning the loss of Fynn and Cassandra for the first time. He rocked him, stroked his hair, whispered whatever assurances he could think of. He was not good at emotional endeavors, but he gave it his all. When Jack finally quieted down, Bunny had no delusions that he'd honestly recovered. Jack lay slumped against Bunny's chest, still giving occasional small sniffles in his sleep. The older Guardian knew it was only the exhaustion from the outpour triggered by his story that had sent the boy to slumber. Emotional breakdowns could do that. Aster himself felt the wear of deep-seated wariness settled in his bones, guilt and despair weighing him down.

He stared down at the sleeping child, smoothing back wild hair. It was funny how the kid almost looked like a completely different person asleep; calm and still for once, looking so much younger without all that cheeky attitude. Bunny gave a snort at the thought, smiling down at the boy as he petted at his hair. Jack gave a content sigh at the gentle touches and curled up against the rabbit, snuggling into his chest. Bunny held back a chuckle and settled into a more comfortable position against the wall, keeping Jack tucked against his chest.

Things were so messed up. Hundreds of spirits – of _children_, he reminded himself, thinking of Jack's earlier words – hunted and killed, desperately needing help, and he and the other Guardians had never known. Worse, his thoughts wandered down a darker path, before Jack's inclusion into their group, they may not have care even if they had known. Elemental spirits were known to be a violent, volatile group. Conflicts between opposing seasons were not uncommon, and often leaded to numerous deaths. These spirits being wiped out in the Oasis may not have drawn much—if any – attention. As Adam said, no one really cared enough to keep track of the nature spirits.

And that just made him _sick_.

But thinking like that wouldn't change anything, or help. And no matter what the Guardians would have done in different circumstances, they knew now, they had Jack now, and they cared now. Bunny looked back down at Jack, going back to smoothing down the sleeping boy's hair. Yes, they cared now, and they _were _going to do something to stop it.

-Line Break – Line Break – Line Break-

There was fire all around him. He could hear screams in the trees, just out of his line of sight. Fynn and Cassy, they were dying, he couldn't get to them, _no please not this again please_—

And Kyden was in front of him again, smiling at him, eying him in that way that made Jack's skin crawl. The winter boy stumbled back as the fire spirit advanced him, trying to shake himself awake, because he was sleeping, he had to be sleeping, this was just a nightmare!

"You and I have unfinished business, bird." Just a nightmare, just a bad dream. A flash of steel caught Jack's eye, drawing his attention to the knife Kyden twirled in his hand. A large hunting knife; _Fynn's_ knife. The sick, twisted bastard! "Yes, yes, you…..you broke the rules," Kyden leered at the smaller spirit, pinning him against a tree, pressing the tip of the knife to the underside of his chin and the hollow of his throat. Too close, he was too close! "This is my game, my rules! You die when I say; you don't escape, and when I say it's time to stop hiding _you come out when I say_!" The man's voice cracked as he ranted, taking a manic tone as he crowded even further into Jack's personal space. Jack stared wide eyed at the older spirit, trembling, terrified, why couldn't he just wake up! Kyden sighed, almost sounding disappointed. "I warned you. I gave you the chance to make things easier, and I warned you this would happen." The twisted smile was back, and Jack gave a scream as he felt the bite of the knife in his stomach.

-Line Break – Line Break –Line Break-

Bunny jolted awake at the feel of Jack flailing in his arms. The rabbit moved to secure the wild limbs and clamped a paw over the boy's mouth as he gave a loud, frightful shout.

"Frostbite, Jack! It's alright, it's okay," he ensured as Jack jerked in his arms. "It's okay." Jack stilled, taking panicked breaths from around Bunny's paw. "What happened?" He asked as he ran a soothing paw through the boy's hair.

"He got me. He got me and he cut me, just like he said, he cut me open—"

"Shhh," Bunny hushed him, giving blue clad shoulders a reassuring squeeze to halt the hysterical ramblings.

"He's not getting' anywhere near ya. Ah promise," Bunny reassured. Jack gave a violent shudder before his tense body relaxed. The smaller spirit pulled away, furiously scrubbing at his wet cheeks, avoiding Aster's gaze in embarrassment.

"Sorry. This place just messes with my head."

"Understandably, kid. It's totally understandable," Bunny ensured softly, smoothing down Jack's hair. "So, ya think it's safe ta head out, Mister Expert?"

Jack gave a shaky laugh and made his way to the cave entrance. After surveying the area and finding it satisfactory, he gave Bunny a nod, and climbed out. The elder Guardian quickly followed. The forest was eerie in the deafening silence and murky evening light, setting both spirits on edge. The slightest noise rang like a gun shot in the unnatural quiet. When Bunny caught himself scanning the trees and shadows in utter paranoia he frantically racked his brain for any topic to distract both Jack and himself from the terror that fell over them in a mist.

"So, kiddo. What exactly is 'Unmaking'?" He finally asked, the thought popping out of nowhere but something he was still quite curious about after their conversation with Adam. Jack's attention snapped to him, just as surprised by the question as Bunny. "Adam mentioned it," he supplied in answer to the younger's questioning look.

"It's not really something I like to talk about. Or think about, really."

"Well, unless you want to talk about our quite possibly impending doom, or have another topic…. Besides, I'm hopin' it's somethin' we can use to take the bastard down."

"Not really," Jack admitted with a chuckle. "Gaia is the only one who can Unmake a spirit. Mother Nature," he elaborated further when Bunny only gave him a blank look at the name. "You see, nature spirits don't Fade. Our existence isn't tied to humans like Moon spirits; it just gives us tangible form in the world. So, really the only way for us to die, barring horrible burning or dismemberment, is for Gaia to Unmake us. Basically it means that she strips away our immortality and allows time to catch up with our bodies. And since none of us are under three hundred years old, no one survives too long after that. Depending on how pissed she is."

"Meaning," Bunny ventured, starting to understand why Jack didn't want to discuss this particular topic.

"Well, the last guy she Unmade she made hang on for over two weeks before she actually let him die. It was horrible. Luckily it takes a lot to make her that mad: I think the guy tried to cause another ice age, or something," he added quickly, trying to lighten the mood.

"Yeah, guess that is lucky. Maybe we should have just discussed fiery doom." That got a full hearted laugh out of Jack. The sounded reverberated among the trees. Jack and Bunny ceased breathing, scanning the trees for signs of Kyden. Jack gave a relieved sigh when the fire spirit made no appearance, muscles still tense in fright.

"I hate this place," the boy whispered dejectedly. Aster glanced at him, guilt making his heart squeeze painfully.

"Ah'm sorry, kid. Ah'm sorry we brought ya back ta this."

Bunny wrapped an arm around Jack as they walked, drawing the small boy to his side while the winter child hugged himself in distress. He rubbed away the tension in taut muscles while they moved through the dark, needing the close contact just as much as Jack did. This forest rang with the terror and pain of the past and it made him deeply uneasy.

"So, tell me about that trick Kyden pulled ta get ya in here. Power of the earth is usually reserved ta Spring spirits," Bunny asked, keeping his voice at a whisper, breaking the silence just enough to chase away any dark thoughts whirling around in Jack's mind.

"Older seasonal spirits can develop powers outside of their season. Usually involving the earth, since it's what we're most connected to. You know, since Gaia creates nature spirits, and, ya know Mother _Earth_," Jack explained, happily latching onto the distraction. "So yeah, the older ones get to control earth and the element of their season.'

"Any other surprise powers we should be expectin' from this bloke?"

"Not that I know of. But let me know if you see water or air acting independent of themselves."

"You'll be the first," Bunny said with a grin, glad for the normality in Jack's snarky reply. He gave Jack's snowy locks a tussle and the boy nudged the taller spirit with a grin.

This felt good. Even in the horror of return to this place of despair, it felt good to laugh. To joke and play with a friend. No matter the misery, it was a relief to have Bunny with him.

Jack supposed it was the familiarity of the situation that first set him on edge. There was no happiness to be had in this place, and the last time he'd felt any joy in the Oasis was just before he lost Fynn and Cassy. Whatever the reason, Jack was wary even before the fire was more rained down on him. It was a nightmare come real, fire everywhere, everything burning. Beside him, he could vaguely hear Bunny give a surprised cry. He turned slowly toward the sound, things dulled with shock like a fading dream. The older Guardian was trying to pull him away from the flames, shouting something Jack couldn't make out in his dazed state. Then his left side was burning – just like before, just like before—and he was falling to the ground. He barely registered Bunny's worried, then pained cry as his head struck the ground and he was forced from consciousness.

-Line Break – Line Break – Line Break-

Aster wasn't sure what happened. One minute he was laughing with kid, cheering him up and distracting him from the hopelessness of their situation. Then Jack had tensed next to him. And then there was fire. Dread had spiked in his chest as he'd tried to pull Jack – suddenly completely unresponsive – away from the danger. He'd shouted at the boy, urging him to move, didn't he understand the danger?

He needed to keep the boy safe, he'd promised.

But Jack fell from his grasp, crying out in pain from his burned arm. The rabbit had moved to retrieve him, to protect to keep him safe, he'd promised.

And then he was struck. He gave a pained yell as he fell and rolled, his body burning. And he knew no more.

-Line Break—Line Break—This is another Line Break—Who's freakin' out?—Line Break-

Jack slowly blinked back into awareness, wincing at the harsh light. Once his eyes adjusted, he could tell it was late afternoon. How was that possible? Last he remembered it was the middle of the night. Jack jolted in shock and terror at the memories of the previous evening. He looked about frantically as he tried to sit up, looking for either Kyden or Bunny. Where was Bunny? Was he alright? No, no, no nononononono, not Bunny not him too. The panicked mental ramblings came to a halt when, in his struggles to sit up, Jack realized his arms were tightly bound at the elbows to his chest with the cursed thick green vines. He thrashed in the bonds, feeling sick at the sight of them – unable to get the image of Fynn tangled in them and tied to the tree, then burning burning burning – the taste of bile trapped in his mouth by the thick gag of vines clamped between his teeth and tied behind his head.

"Awake now, are we?"

Jack went utterly still at the voice, breathe catching, stomach turning in terror. No, no this wasn't happening. He was dreaming, he had to be dreaming. Yeah this was just a nightmare and any minute he was going to wake up and Bunny was going to tell him it was okay and they were going to get out of the awful place. Better yet, he was going to wake up and find he'd never been dragged back and….

He was jerked out of his frantic daydreaming when he felt burning fingers trace a line from his stomach to his chest – his disturbingly _bare _chest—and his wide eyes snapped to where Kyden crouched beside him. The fire spirit gave that sick half smile when he noticed Jack's attention, running his fingers along the younger spirit's chin and cheek bones. Jack shuddered and his eyes clamped shut as he tried to lean away from the obscenely hot fingers. Said fingers trailed down to his aching left arm, tenderly tracing the burn.

"Got you good there," he commented cheerfully, like this was an everyday conversation. "Might even scar. I see nothing else did from last time," he muttered, massaging the spot along Jack's collar bone he'd bitten. "I'm sorry about all this" a wave to the vines encircling his arms, "must be uncomfortable, but I needed to take precautions after last time." Kyden tugged the collar of his shirt down, revealing a long, faded scar on his shoulder. "I _did_ scar. I still have to pay you back for that." At Jack's frightened whimpers, Kyden smiled at petted at his hair. "It's okay, shhhhh, it's okay. It doesn't _have_ to be like that," he promised in what was meant to be reassurance. "Here, let's sit you up," Kyden levered Jack up, propping him against a tree for support. "It doesn't have to be that way. Things can…. Things can be good between us." Jack gave a disgusted look at the word 'us' and glared. Kyden ignored him and went on cheerfully. "Ever since you got out, things have been different in the game. It hasn't been nearly as fun. For the longest time, I couldn't figure out why. And then one day it hit me: you. It wasn't the same without you. So I did some research, found everything I could about my lost bird. People will babble on if they think it will save them," he added with a grin. "I learned quite a bit about you. Jack." He said the name slowly, almost tasting it as it fell past his lips. "It is Jack, right?" The winter boy gave a shudder and kept his glare steady.

"Yeah, Jack. Anyway, people would talk a lot about you once I got them on the subject, probably mostly mortal terror, but I think it was legitimate hate. They don't like you much." Jack winced at the remark and swallowed the lump in his throat. It wasn't like the fact that most spirits – even nature spirits – hated him, hearing from Kyden shouldn't have hurt that much.

"They don't like you: you're different. Different from them. Does that ever bother you?" He asked, voice suddenly very quiet. Confused, lost.

"I'm not stupid, ya know. And I know I'm not…. right." Kyden made full eye contact, looking imploringly at Jack like the younger spirit had the answers. "It bothers me some times, you know. Not what I do for the game, that never bothers me. But the fact that it doesn't, that bugs me sometimes. Enjoying what I do, it should bother me, shouldn't it? It's….wrong and on some level I know that, but I just don't care. Do you get that kind of feeling?"

Jack looked at him incredulously and shook his head. Kyden sighed, seeming genuinely disappointed.

"Yeah, I figured it was just me. Anyway back to the may point: I don't _have_ to hurt you. It doesn't have to be that way. You can stay with me. You can stay here with me, and I won't hurt you. I promise, we'll be happy. I….I even won't hurt anyone else, well not as often anyway. What do you think?" The fire man leaned in, pulling the vine out from between Jack's teeth. He looked at the winter spirit expectantly, waiting for an answer.

Jack licked his lips, swallowing past the tightness in his throat as he looked into the crazed eyes gazing into his.

"I think…. you're out of your mind if you think I would want anything to do with you," he said finally, voice rough but confident and resolved. Kyden blinked at him blankly and for several minutes they only stared at one another. Then Kyden sighed once more.

"You have a nice voice. Not so happy with the answer." A harsh smack to the cheek had Jack falling back to the ground with a cry.

"All I wanted was to have a nice conversation, is that too much to ask?" Kyden growled, forcing Jack onto his back and hovering over him. "I was being_ nice_ to you!" He snapped, sound honestly offended. "But you have to be rude. Was what I offered really that bad? HUH?!" The fire man gave Jack a rough shake, snarling as the smaller boy struggled against him the best he could with his bound arms. Still the older male was able to hold the younger to the ground, pinning his upper body, kneeling between Jack's kicking legs, their hips obscenely flush as Kyden kept the winter spirit immobilized. Jack snarled and fought, anger the only thing keeping fear and shame at bay.

"Well, if option one was that bad we'll go with the original plan, see how you like _that_!"

"Get off of me!"

"Oh no, you lost your say in this, bird," Kyden declared, stuffing the vine gag back into Jack's mouth. Jack thrashed, trying to get the gag out, trying to get Kyden off him but he was too strong, and Jack was so small compared to him.

"There we go, just like old times, huh?" He crowed, nipping at Jack's nose, lips and then biting down hard on the boy's collar bone. "Yeah, now it's just like old time. So where were we last time? You mind giving me a hand here? Some pointers?" The fire man grinned, running his fingers along Jack's cheeks, then ever lower. Skimming over his chest, his stomach, hip, just over his groin, to which Jack gave a muffled, high whine of protest and tried to twist away.

"Oh, I know." The knife came out, Fynn's knife. Jack gave a whine when the tip of the knife scratched along the socket of his eye. "We were going to remove these, weren't we?" Jack jerked his face away, and the fire spirit snagged his chin, holding his face in place while he settled his full body onto Jack's. "What did I say about staying still last time? No getting away this time. Nope, now I'm gonna be the last thing you see." The man grinned. "And feel," he added, rocking his hip ever so slightly against Jack's.

The tip of the knife pressed against the underside of Jack's eye and the boy slammed his eyes closed, waiting the pain of the knife. And this time he couldn't escape it.

"Now hold st—"Kyden broke off with a cry of pain, falling forward and then to the side. Jack looked about wide eyed when he felt the vines holding him snap away. He looked over to Kyden, slumped and unconscious next to him, then back up when he heard a voice call his name. He sobbed with relief.

For standing above him, pulling him to his feet, burned and a little worse for wear, but very much alive, was Bunny.


	12. Chapter 12

When he finally came to, Bunny couldn't think much past the searing pain pulsing through his body. His arms, legs, back and chest all stung with a burn that was almost cold, sending shivers up his spin. He pushed himself up slowly, cringing at the sight of his singed body. Oh boy, that looked about as good as it felt. Much of his fur was singed away, the skin beneath an array of blistered pinks and reds and blacks. He winced as he rotated his shoulder and lightly kicked his legs, trying to encourage the blood flow to his limbs, holding back cries as the movement pulled his tender, burned flesh and sent the feeling of stabbing needles shooting through his limbs. Once the tingle subsided, Bunny climbed to his feet, wincing all the way. Ow; moving hurt! He surveyed the forest around him, massaging his tender muscles as they slowly began to stitch together– the basic advantages of being a spirit, like their advanced healing abilities, were not blocked by this place, at least.

The fire from the other night had burned itself out, leaving the trees and foliage burned and scarred. Bunny walked about the maimed vegetation, still limping ever so slightly as he stared up at the tinted sky. Something fluttered about in the back of his mind as he made his way through the forest. It felt something like concern, although what would possibly be more cause for worry than the current situation was beyond him…. Bunny came to an abrupt halt, heart skittering to a sudden stop.

Up until that point, his mind had whirled around basic stages for dealing with a battle wound. Identify the damage, treat the most problematic, bandage them up. With that done, more or less, his mind was finally able to consider something beyond his physical condition.

"Jack!" He called, frantically looking for the younger Guardian as the events of the other night finally came flying back.

There was no sign of the boy. Not good, oh not good. If Jack wasn't with him, it meant Kyden had him. The thought chilled him more than the fried nerves of his burn. His mind raced: what had the monster done to the boy in the time Aster had been unconscious? It had been what? Ten hours, at the least. What had happened to Jack in that time? Had Kyden hurt him? Killed him? Raped him—

Stop it, Aster! he ordered firmly, shaking his head to dislodge the thoughts. That wouldn't help anything. Taking a calming breath, Bunny tried to focus. First things first, he needed to find Jack. Then he needed to save the boy, and take that fiery bastard's head off if need be. Feeling considerably more level headed with plan set, the rabbit scented the air, easily picking out Jack's scent. With a small grin Bunny set off, following the smell of chilled peppermint to its source.

He couldn't remember a time he'd been more frightened, even in the fight with Pitch, then he'd been seeing Kyden kneel over Jack with that accursed, disgusting grin, knife poised to plunge into the boy. He'd moved fast as his legs would take him, faster than any race between him and the winter boy, sending his boomerang flying which, to Bunny's great satisfaction, struck the man right in the head. That wiped the smirk off his face, Bunny thought with a smirk of his own.

Once the fire man unconscious and off of Jack, who seemed dazed and unaware of what was going on around him, he'd pulled the young winter spirit to his feet. He checked the nasty burn on his arm with a concerned frown and looked the child over for any other injuries. His rage threatened to boil over at the sight of the bleeding bite mark just above the boy's shoulder and he gave an unhappy growl. Luckily, other than that and the burn, the boy was unharmed. He smoothed back Jack's wild hair, eying the young one with worry as the boy trembled in his hold.

"Are you okay? Jack," he gave the boy a shake when he didn't respond, gaining a clearer gaze, "are you alright?"

Jack nodded, leaning ever so slightly forward until his forehead rested on Bunny's chest. His shaking increased until he was all but vibrating and Bunny could hear the faint hiccup in his breathing that gave away his sobbing. The elder Guardian looked down at the younger, concern clamping in his chest. Jack wasn't usually a touchy feely, clingy kind of person. In fact the first few years into his guardianship, the boy had avoided any kind of physical contact, utterly terrified at the slightest brush of the shoulder – a fact that tore his elders apart, knowing they'd let him get to that point. While the display of trust of the boy coming to him for comfort would have swelled the rabbit's heart in any situation (not that he would ever tell that to _anyone_) but right now, in this place that already had the boy so frightened, it was cause for deep alarm. He wrapped a supporting arm around Jack's shoulders, hushing him gently.

"I-I thought you were dead," Jack's muffled voice whispered from the furred chest, "I though he got you, too."

"Ah'm okay," Bunny assured, rubbing Jack's hair. "Jack look at me," he pushed the smaller spirit back, drawing his eyes, "Ah'm fine." Jack nodded, letting out a relived breathe and scrubbed at his eyes in an attempt to wipe away the tears lining his eyes. He'd already cried far too much in front of the older Guardian. Bunny gave a comforting smile, rubbing away the tension in Jack's neck and shoulders before his brow furrowed in concern and rising rage.

"What happened to yer shirt?" He asked, trying to keep his voice calm and level. Judging from the way Jack's shoulders tensed, he wasn't successful.

The boy only shrugged in response. "Did he do _anything _to ya?" Bunny tried again in a gentler voice, trying to get the question across without really asking. Because if that bastard did anything to Jack…. well, he was in easy reach for skinning if he'd dared.

"No," Jack answered quietly, still looking far too shaken for Bunny to be satisfied with that answer.

"Did he touch ya, in any way?" Jack opened his mouth to answer when a low groan to the side drew their attention back to Kyden. The fire spirit stirred, giving another pained grunt. The winter boy looked to his elder, fear shinning in his eyes and Bunny decided to file the conversation away for when they were out of danger from the psychotic spirit.

"Alright kid, let's get outta here, yeah?"

Jack nodded vigorously and eagerly followed Bunny as they made the final dash for the barrier.

**Kind of a filler chapter here. But enjoy, I'll try to dish out the next one a little sooner.**


	13. Chapter 13

They set off through the woods as fast as Bunny could go, weaving through the trees to put as much distance between them and Kyden as possible before the spirit could collect himself. The older Guardian made sure to keep a hand on the younger at all times—he was certain his claws were digging into the boy's arms in his anxious need to keep hold of him, but Aster was too worried and narrow minded on escape to give it much mind. He'd already lost the boy once, and it was inexcusable; he wasn't going to risk the fire monster getting his hands on the winter boy again. Unfortunately, with Jack lagging behind him like the boy had lead feet, they were slowed to a near dead crawl.

Bunny sent several concerned glances at Jack as he pulled him through the woods. The boy had been worryingly quiet and dazed since Bunny had found him. Whatever happened with Kyden before Bunny'd gotten to them seemed to have pushed Jack right off the deep end and head long into a near catatonic fog. It was troubling and Bunny wasn't entirely sure how to deal with it.

Jack stumbled as his elder pulled him along, glancing at the trees distantly. He blamed it on shock; everything was still hazy and failed to make a real impact on his brain. It would have been concerning if Jack was in the frame of mind to question it. Right now, it was more of a blessing; he was tired of being afraid, tired of feeling sad, of missing his friends. It was nice to finally stop thinking.

Bunny came to an abrupt stop and Jack slammed into the rabbit's back, twisting his arm between his chest and Bunny's back. Jack bounced back at the collision, looking confused and still out of touch with the world as Bunny turned to him and grabbed his shoulders.

"Jack," he said softly, almost calling to the smaller spirit as if he were somewhere far away. Which, judging from the glazed gaze the rabbit was met with, wasn't that far from the truth.

"Ya've gotta work with me here, kiddo," he continued, cupping Jack's cheeks and tipping the boy's head back to make better eye contact. "Ah'm tryin' ta get ya outta here, but ya've gotta run fer that, ya understand?" He didn't like this, he didn't like seeing Jack so dazed and lost. It frightened him.

Jack blinked at him, looking like he didn't quite hear the older spirit. Bunny gave the boy a light shake, trying to shake that hazy look that simply didn't belong in such bright, vibrant eyes out of the boy. It seemed to have an effect, for Jack fully met Bunny's gaze and responded.

"I don't want to be here anymore," Jack said quietly, sounding so far away and so unlike himself. His voice trembled as his bottom lip quiver.

"I want to go home." Jack shoulders shook as he spoke, tears once again lining in his eyes. The sentence was so vulnerable and child-like; it made Bunny's heart clench.

"Ah know. Ah know, Jackie, an' Ah'm gonna get ya outta here an' Ah'm gonna get ya home. Ah promise. But ya gotta give me a hand, alright?"

Jack nodded. His eyes were still far too distant for Bunny's liking, but at least the boy was responsive.

"We'll get ya back ta mommy and daddy as soon as we can," he added with a smirk. North and Tooth, much to Bunny's amusement, had decided to take on the role of parents shortly after Jack's addition to the Guardians. They dotted on the boy every chance they got, set rules, guidelines, bed times; North had invited Jack to live at the Pole and Tooth practically lived there with them. Bunny never missed the chance to tease them about it.

Jack rolled his eyes and gave a small grin in reply, clearing away the fog covering his eyes even more.

"Not funny, Bunny," he retorted, sounding more and more like the old Jack.

"Very funny, kiddo." Bunny smiled and gave the winter boy's arms a good squeeze before brushing his forehead against Jack's.

"Now let's go. Let's go home."

Jack nodded, his small grin growing to a full smile.

"He's not leaving. He's not going anywhere."

The two snapped to attention at the voice. Jack's smile died and his eyes went wide as he slowly glance toward the direction of the voice, breath coming out in shallow, frightened gasps. Kyden stood a few feet to their right, a large gash on his forehead from where the boomerang struck him – something Bunny took more than a little proud in – and from the irritated look on the fire spirit's face, he was not pleased with the blow to the head. Bunny snatched Jack's arm and shoved the boy behind him. He spared a brief moment for concern when Jack clung to his back like a small child, even more worried for the winter spirit's emotional stability, before diverting full attention to staring Kyden down.

"He's not allowed to get away this time," the fire man continued, taking several deliberate steps forward that Bunny mirrored step for step, shuffling Jack backwards.

"And _you_," he accused, throwing a furious look at Bunny, "have become very, very annoying. And I'm sick of you." Kyden twirled a ball of flames for a moment before flinging it at the two.

"Move!" Bunny shouted, pulling Jack down as he dove to the ground.

He gave a cry when he landed roughly on his burned muscles. He ignored the agony that shot through him as his charred skin tore when he rolled over Jack and through a number of bushes before jumping to his feet and pulling the boy toward the edge of the forest. Behind them, Kyden gave a furious screech. Bunny glanced back to see the man charging them, face as furious as his scream, smoke drifting from his nostrils with every exhale. The image reminded him of a cartoon bull and he almost laughed before the monster closed in on them, hand reaching for Jack and fingers brushing the back of the boy's shoulder. Bunny jerked the boy forward, tucking him into his chest. The barrier was only a few feet away: he could make that. So, clutching Jack protectively to his chest, pushed off the ground with his powerful legs, and dove forward.

Bunny rolled as they sailed through the air, making it so he was the one who hit the ground first when they landed. They rolled, something Bunny's tender body greatly protested to. When the two came to a stop, Bunny still holding Jack tightly to his chest as he propped himself up, the elder glanced around. They were out. Bunny let out a relived laugh; they were out! As he pulled Jack to his feet, Bunny glanced back at the barrier, letting out another full hearted laugh at seeing Kyden pounding his fists against the shimmering wall, wailing and shrieking like a mad man.

He gave a start as Jack pulled out of his grasp and made his way over the barrier. He stood almost nose to nose with Kyden, standing just a hair shy of touching the wall separating them. For a moment the two elemental only stared at one another, before Kyden once again slammed his fist against the barrier. Jack gave no reaction, nor did he respond when the fire man yelled hysterically at him.

"NO! No, no, no! You can't do this again! You can't do this to me!" Bunny almost swore he could tears in the man's voice as he screeched, banging on the barrier until his fists bled.

"You little _shit_! You can't do this! I won't… you can't get away from this. I will get you, you hear?! I will get you and I will rip the flesh from—" Kyden paused in his rant as Jack spun on his heels and stalked over to Bunny, grabbing the older Guardian's arm and leading him away.

"What are you…. Where do you think you're going? Get back here! Don't you leave me here!" The man's voice rose to a new level of hysterical as he called after them, spitting profanities and pleas.

"Don't turn around," Jack muttered. "Don't look at him, don't acknowledge him."

It seemed to have the desired effect. Kyden simply rejected the use of coherent language in favor of animalistic shrieks as he threw his body against the wall. Bunny glanced at Jack as they walked, giving an involuntary wince at the panicked screams behind them. It was quite the display of hate on Jack's part to willingly damn anyone to the isolation they were leaving Kyden in, something the winter boy feared himself.

The two came to a halt as the wind picked up, carrying sand in a whirling vortex in front of them. Bunny once again shoved the younger spirit behind him, drawing his weapon and eying the swirling sand. The whirl wind came to a sudden stop, sand shooting out in all directions, blinding the rabbit Guardian for a moment when the dust particles blew in his eyes. Bunny coughed and sputtered, wiping the blinding sand from his eyes and jumping back into a defensive position in front of Jack. Aster gave a start at the sight of the spirit before him.

The woman was a tall, regal beauty in a flowing gown of forest green. Her face was angular and lanky, her skin a sun-kissed tan. Her dark hair circled her head, held up in a flowered crown; her gilded eyes glanced over them as she made her way to the barrier.

Bunny knew her, anyone remotely connected to nature knew this woman. She was the Queen of the wild, Matron of elementals. Mother Nature.

-Line Break—Line Break—Line Break-

Jack glanced from around Bunny – the rabbit had been pushing him around a lot today. Something in the back of Jack's mind said that was really annoying, but he dismissed it – to watch as Gaia glided to Kyden, who watch her with wide eyes. His mind was still fuzzy, but he found Kyden's gapping mouth oddly funny and had to fight back chuckles.

"Mama?" Kyden whispered, something like a sob passing his lips—which didn't make sense, wasn't possible, the man couldn't be _crying, _that was ridiculous—and Gaia let out a sigh. With a wave of her hand, the barrier shuddered, and then collapsed.

Bunny growled, and shoved Jack further back, and yeah, Jack decided, that was annoying. But rather than do anything threatening, Kyden only stood there, looking wide eyed from the woman to the sky and back again. Gaia only gave another saddened sigh and opened her arms. Kyden rushed forward without hesitation, flinging himself into Mother Nature's waiting arm and burring his face into her shoulder as he broke into sobs. Jack blinked in surprise and looked up at Bunny to ensure the elder was seeing the same.

"Oh my little flame, what have you done?" she whispered sadly, stroking Kyden's hair.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Mama." The man sobbed harder, muttering incoherent apologies and pleas for forgiveness as Gaia rocked him.

Once Kyden blubbering subsided, the woman pushed him back to an arm's length. She stroked his cheeks as they stared at one another, a look of resigned devastation crossing her features. Gaia placed a gentle kiss on the fire spirit's brow, then rested her forehead against his.

"I love you, my little one. I love you," she whispered, kissing his forehead once more before placing a slender hand on his chest. Kyden looked down at the hand, fear shinning in his eyes when he looked back up at her.

"I'm sorry. But what you've done cannot be forgiven."

"Mama—"Kyden cut off with a sharp cry. His knees buckled and Gaia caught him before he collapsed, keeping her hand on the center of his chest.

Kyden continued to scream as an orange tinted ball of light was transferred from his chest and into the Spirit of Nature. The fire spirit stumbled back when she let him go, holding his chest and staring up at her with tears in his eyes. He doubled over with another shout of pain, clutching even tighter at his chest. He slowly held a hand in front of his face and gave a frightened cry when it began to deteriorate. He looked up at Gaia pleadingly as his hand blew away like ash and his arm followed. He fell to his knees, crying and screaming as ash engulfed him, spreading like a virus. Then he was silent and the ashy remains of his body scattered on the winds. Jack blinked and watched the ashes dance around on the wind, too numb to feel anything, relieved or horrified. Bunny, on the other hand, had no such problem.

"My god," he whispered, staring at the place Kyden had just stood in surprise. His voice was enough to draw Gaia's attention away from the same area. Her eyes drifted to them and she slowly made her way over to them.

"I need to speak with him." She waved to Jack. Bunny only growled and tightened his grip on Jack's arm.

"It's okay, Bunny," Jack said, prying his arm from Bunny's bone tight grip. Bunny gave him a concerned look, placing his hand on the boy's shoulder.

"You heard him. Down boy," she added with a wink.

Bunny gave another growl and glowered at her before looking back to Jack.

"Ah'll be right over there, okay? He smiled at Jack's nod and walked toward the tree line, giving Gaia another glare as he passed. She sneered in response.

"Ya know, sometimes it's really not too hard ta see the family resemblance." That wiped the sneer off her face. She matched his glare.

"Go suck an egg," she snapped, making her way over to Jack.

"Point and case," Bunny remarked with a snort, moving a few feet to the side to watch the two talk.

Jack stared at Nature spirit as she came to a stop in front of him, trying to make sense if the conversation. What family resemblance? Gaia did have features that were oddly familiar – and he'd never directly met the woman prior to this, so there was no real reason for her to seem familiar – but who? It was obviously someone Bunny had a problem with, but that didn't really narrow things down; Bunny had grudges against many people. Then, as the silver-gold eyes of one of the most powerful spirits in the world settled on him, it hit him. And he broke down laughing. The woman raised an eyebrow, looking at him like he'd lost his mind.

"I just got it," he managed to explain through his fit of giggles. The woman rolled her eyes with an exasperated sigh.

"That's not the reaction I'm use to when someone finds out I'm related to the Boogeyman, but I'll take it." She even had the same Bond-villain accent, which only made Jack laugh harder. "Do you want to pull yourself together so we can talk?"

"So is he your brother? I can totally see that."

"Frost…" she muttered, pinching the bridge of her nose in annoyance.

"Or is he a cousin? What's it like being related to him?"

"If I tell you will you shut up?"

"Maybe. Is it hard being related to him when you know he's insane?"

Gaia took a number of calming breaths before straightening and clasping her hands behind her back. She even held herself the same way Pitch did. Jack had to choke back more laughter.

"For the record, my_ father_ isn't insane. It's more of a case of…. demonic possession." She waved off Jack's confused look.

"Talk to your friends about it, I'm in no mood to explain it. No will you shut up and let me get through this." When Jack only launched into another fit of laughter, she rolled her eyes again and gave an annoyed huff.

"I'm never going to get anywhere with you like this," she muttered. She walked up to the laughing boy, tilting his head back and placing a finger on his forehead. And the fog cleared.

For the first time since the Guardians told him of their meeting with Adam, Jack was able to see everything clearly. Everything came rushing back, leaving him shaking and close to tears. Then relief slammed into him. Kyden was gone. It was over. Finally, really and truly over. A weight that had rested on his shoulders that he'd carried for half a century lifted, and that only almost broke through the dam of tears. But he collected himself, and with a deep breath, looked up to meet Gaia's gaze.

"Better now?" She asked, looking more annoyed than concerned. Jack nodded and took another breath.

"Good, now we can get through this." She took a deep breath of her own before going on, "I feel the need to apologize for my part in this. I should have taken care of him a long time ago. Unfortunately, my thinking has never been particularly clear when it comes to Kyden. I was rather attached to him."

"I was a little attached to the people he slaughtered," Jack retorted. Gaia sighed.

"Fair enough. And I know it can't fix anything, but I am sorry. I'm sorry you had to go through that."

Jack nodded and swallowed back tears. It didn't fix anything. It didn't bring Fynn and Cassy back.

"I don't think I can accept it, not now. Maybe never."

"I understand."

"But thank you. Thank for stopping him."

Gaia nodded in acceptance.

"Why did you? Why now?"

"Your friends decided to crash into my domain." As if on cue, a portal opened above them and the sleigh came barreling through the air before crashing to the ground not far from Bunny.

"Apparently that's a habit. They threw a bit of a tizzy."

Jack laughed, looking over as his friends stumbled out of the sleigh and over to Bunny, watching Jack and Gaia.

"They can be very convincing."

"They can, can't they?" Jack agreed with another laugh. Gaia joined in, before giving the boy a sincere and meaningful look.

"They care about you. Very much. You're in good hands."

Jack glanced over to his friends, then back to Gaia with a smile.

"I know."

The Nature bringer smiled and placed a kiss on his head. Then she grabbed the hand not holding his staff and kissed the knuckles. Then she was gone.

"Sweet Tooth!" Tooth cried as soon as the other woman was gone, rushing over to Jack and, drawing the boy into a hug. Sandy was close behind and they both worriedly checked him over, asking if the boy was alright.

"I'm fine. Really, really, I'm fine!" Jack assured, trying to bat Tooth's hands away.

"Actually, Bunny's a lot worse off than I am."

"Oi no! Don' ya shove her off on me!" Bunny objected, but it was too late. With a cry of 'oh Bunny, you're burned!' Tooth flittered over to Bunny to check him over. The rabbit sent Jack several death glares as the fairy poked and prodded him.

"Sorry," Jack said softly with an apologetic smile. He yelped as North scooped him into a bone breaking hug that crushed the air out of his lungs. "Ah, North…" he gasped, patting the big man's shoulders.

"Ha-ha! Justice!" Bunny declared before he too gave a yelp. "Ow! Shelia, that's tender!" he complained.

Jack gave a breathless laugh and wrapped his arms around North's neck and hugged the man back. After a moment, North but him back down and placed both hands on his small shoulders. He frowned at the bite mark and gently rubbed a thumb over it.

"Are you alright?" he asked softly. Jack nodded, looking close to tears.

"Yeah, I'm okay. I just… I want to go home. I want to go home now."

North's heart warmed and he cupped the boy's cheek and nodded with a smile.

"Yes. Yes, we go home now." Keeping a hand on Jack's shoulder as he steered the boy to the sleigh, North called to the others, announcing that they were headed back to the Pole.

Tooth hovered at Jack's elbow, babbling nervous question about his condition and occasionally running her hands comfortingly through the boy's hair. Jack glanced back at Bunny, who was back away with Sandy. The rabbit gave him a reassuring smile that Jack returned. As they piled into the sleigh, North insisted that Jack sit up with him, where he kept a hand on Jack's shoulder at all times.

Yeah, Jack thought as he leaned against the big man and began to doze off, he was in good hands.

** Alright, we'll be finishing this up next chapter. Thank** **you for all your support.**


	14. Epiloge: Tribute to the lost

"North, would you stop it? I'm fine, really," Jack wined in protest, batting at North's hands as the older spirit prodded at the burn on his arm.

It had been straight to the infirmary the moment they landed—which happened to mean Jack was jerked awake, something he took great offense to. That and having to go under medical examination put the winter boy in a very, very grumpy mood.

"Jack, this is a third degree burn. It must be cleaned and ointment must be applied. Now stop squirming," the Christmas spirit ordered, giving Jack a light whack to the side of the head. Jack yelped and gave the elder Guardian a glare before slumping on the bed and giving a sullen pout as North treated his arm.

North chuckled at Jack's attitude and continued working, using the amusement to push back the boiling rage in his gut. Because he was angry, so very angry. The burn looked awful against Jack's pale skin; ugly red and obviously very painful. Every time Jack winced or let out a small yelp when North touched a particularly tender point, the big man's anger inched closer to the surface. And what was the worst was that there was no one to take the anger out on. The monster responsible was dead, and no matter how much wanted to hut him, make him _bleed_ for what he'd done, there was nothing he could do to change that.

But wherever he was, North sincerely hoped Kyden was burning.

North spread ointment on the arm to soothe the burn, and wrapped it. Jack had gone quiet, and when North looked up the boy's eyes were distant. He placed a large hand on a thin shoulder which jerked Jack out of wherever he'd gone in his mind. He gave North a shaky smile.

"Lost my hoodie."

"I will make you another, yes?"

"Yeah. Not for Christmas, okay? I'd rather not walk around without a shirt for the next six months," he added as an afterthought.

"Soon as I can, my boy," North assured.

The wall he'd built against anger threatened to burst at the sight of the bite, now blaringly obvious with North's hand gone from the small shoulder. The sight of the mark never failed to infuriate him. As for how it got there….. that was something that concerned him. And it was something that needed conversation.

"Jack," he started, drawing the boy's attention. "I will let the others in." After all, this was something Tooth and Sandy would want to know this as well.

"No!" Jack exclaimed, and Bunny chimed in the same protest from where he sat on the bed across from the two, med-yetis treating his healing burns.

North firmly ignored them both, walking over to the door and standing to the side as Tooth barreled in. The fairy flittered between Jack and Bunny, checking them both over, just as frantic as she'd been when the two had emerged from the Oasis. All the while North and Sandy stood to the side, watching amusement. Tooth's expression flickered from heart break, to motherly concern, to seething rage as she hovered over Jack.

"Jack." North moved forward, crouching down in front of Jack and taking the winter boy's hands in his larger ones. "Will you tell us what happened?"

Jack looked rather uncomfortable with the idea. He bit his lip, looking over at Bunny. The rabbit gave him a nod.

"They deserve to know kid. Everything."

Jack had to agree with that. North drew his attention by giving his hands a gentle squeeze, and when Jack looked at him, he could see understanding, comfort, love. He could do this; this was his family, he could tell them. Jack took a breath, steading himself, prepared to tell the story one more time.

-Line Break—Line Break – Line Break-

The room was silent by the time Jack's words came to a stop. He'd gone over everything; Fynn and Cassy, the screams of hundreds of spirits in their final moments, his second capture with the rabbit Guardian, his treatment at Kyden's hands when he and Bunny were separated.

Bunny massaged his head as he tried to regain his composure. Somehow it was even worse hearing it a second time, and he wasn't the only one struggling to keep it together. There wasn't a dry eye in the room, nor was there any among the four original Guardians who didn't wish the fire spirit was nearby for a well-deserved beating. Kyden was lucky he was dead.

Tooth flew to Jack's side, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry, baby. They sounded wonderful."

It was better to focus on Jack's friends rather than what the fire spirit had done to him right now. Tooth full heartedly avoided looking at the bite mark. If she thought about the bite she would think about Kyden touching her little boy, would think of the poor boy shivering and afraid as the sick man ran his hands along his body and how the Jack now just talked about like it was an everyday conversation, like that horrible creature touching him didn't matter—

"They were," Jack agreed past the lump lodged in his throat, yanking Tooth from her thoughts.

Tooth looked at him sadly, tears lining her eyes. She gently pulled his head to her shoulder, stroking his hair. North still held Jack's hands in a light grip, and Jack could feel the big man's hands tremble in barely suppressed anger. The Christmas Guardian rose suddenly, jolting everyone out of their thoughts with the movement.

"You did well my boy," he said as he bolted from the room.

Jack watched him go, confused and dejected. Tooth gave him a one armed hug, shushing him and Bunny rose and placed a hand on Jack's shoulder.

"It's alright kid. He just doesn't handle anger well, that's all."

Jack nodded and watched Bunny walk away to follow North. Sandy dashed over to take that rabbit's place, joining Tooth in comforting their boy.

Bunny easily tracked North down; the string of angry Russian curses were tough to miss. The large spirit was pacing the length of the hall, muttering to himself in between curses. He finally came to an abrupt stop to strike the wall, and the entire hall shook in protest. Bunny thought it a good point to speak.

"If yer done with that, ya might want ta come back so the kid doesn't think ya hate him."

"I should have been there," North declared, resuming his pacing.

"There was nothin' ya could've done, mate. And ya got Mother Nature, not a bad play."

"He needed me; I should have been there. I should have protected him. I should have been there for him. "

And Bunny could tell he wasn't just talking about Kyden getting a hold of the boy anymore.

"Look mate, ya want ta jump on the guilt train, go 'head. I could use the company."

North stopped his pacing and looked over at his friend. He smiled softly and clapped the other spirit on the shoulder.

"We have much to make up for."

"We do. And we can start by bein' with him."

North nodded in agreement and followed Bunny back to the infirmary. When they arrived, Jack was sound asleep, his head cushioned on Tooth's lap and a happy dream dancing around his head. Bunny gave a snort, while North looked utterly crestfallen.

"He needed his sleep," Tooth explained, never looking away from Jack while she played with his hair.

"Ya sure ya didn't just have Sandy knock him out so ya could snuggle him up?"

"Oh stop it," she snapped, finally looking up to give Bunny a scolding glare.

"No, no. Ah did promised the kid ta get him back ta mommy, after all."

"Bunny!"

"You stop babyin' him and Ah'll stop bustin' ya about it."

Tooth only rolled his eyes, while North and Sandy tried to contain their laughter. Having the fairy queen angry out you was not something you wanted.

"Why don't we take boy up to his room?" North suggested once he had enough control over his laughter.

Tooth's glare melted away. She looked over to North imploringly, reluctant to give the sleeping boy up.

"Now, now Tooth. Boy cannot sleep in here," North reprimanded, scooping Jack up and pushing his way out of the room, the other three Guardians trailing behind him.

North carried the child to his room, one of the highest in the Pole, wrangled him into an oversized night shirt and tucked him in. He looked so sweet and young snuggled in his bed; North couldn't be blamed for staying just a little longer, running a large hand through silky white hair. The other three hovered just outside the door. It was hard to let the boy out of their sight, even for a little while, but North finally herded his companions down stairs, leaving Jack to sleep in peace.

-Line Break – Line Break – Line Break-

The four elder Guardians sat sipping coco next to a roaring fire. They made small talk when the silence became awkward, but never full conversation. They knew any conversation would drift to the boy sleeping upstairs. And in the after math of the boy's story, none of them could handle that. Small talk had dwindled to North rambling on about toy designs when the signature of Fall washed over Bunny's senses. Not a moment later Adam was shoved into the room by a very grumpy Yeti.

"I just wanted to know where they were, jeez. You've got some hostile help," he commented to North, straightening his wrinkled shirt.

"What are you doing here?" North growled, raising as he spoke.

"Oh, starting to see where it comes from," the fall boy muttered rolling his eyes.

"Answer the question, mate."

"I was worried about Jack. And I need to talk to him."

"Kyden's dead, you don' need talk ta him about anything."

"Believe me, I know. When the Mother Unmakes a spirit, _everyone_ knows it," Adam informed with a shudder.

"So ya have nothin' ta say ta the kid."

"It's not about Kyden, I just need to talk to him."

"Yeah, no. Last time ya talked to him didn't go too well."

"That's not really your call. I need to talk to him, and I am going to."

"Not happenin'."

"Bunny, it's alright." Jack sure could be quiet when he wanted to be. The boy seemed to appear out of nowhere, watching Adam and Bunny.

"Jack—"

"Bunny, he's my friend, remember?"

As Bunny remembered it, he was also the one who'd sent Jack back to Kyden, but he kept his mouth shut and watched Adam make his way over to Jack. The two boys stared at one another. Adam lifted his arms very slightly before balking and dropping them back to his sides, mumbling uncertainly. After another moment he snagged the younger boy and drew him into a tight hug, cradling Jack's head and burring his face into the winter boy's white hair. Jack clung to him just as tightly, hiding his face in Adam's chest.

"You okay?" Adam asked when he pushed the smaller boy back.

"I'm alright."

"Look, I… I have to say I'm sorry. But you did good."

Jack only nodded as Adam gave him a proud smile.

"Anyway, Gaia's destroying the Oasis tonight. At sunset. We'll be holding a ceremony for, well…" Adam trailed off, but Jack understood well enough, and his throat burned in gratitude.

"So, I figured you'd want to be there."

"Thank you."

"I'll see you there."

Adam smiled, and gave Jack's shoulders a parting squeeze. Then he was gone with a swirl of wind.

"A ceremony?" Tooth asked after a moment.

"Yeah, for…. for the spirits that… that he killed. Kind of like a funeral, I guess," Jack clarified, giving a cough to clear his throat. How long would it be, he wondered distantly, before he could talk about this, about his friends without having to choke the words out?

"Would you like us to come with you?" North asked after a moment.

Jack gave a start at the question, thinking it over. This was a private thing, technically. For elementals, and elementals only. They didn't really like outsiders. More to the point, it was a different part of his life. Did he want them with him? He looked them over, and they looked back, waiting for an answer.

"Yeah. That would mean a lot to me," he finally decided with a smile.

If it pissed the other elementals off, well. They didn't really like him to begin with.

-Line Break – Line Break – Line Break-

They arrived at the Oasis just as the sun began to sink. They landed on the edge of a large mass of elementals, who gazed at them. The looks they received ranged from hostile to mildly curious. The elder spirits held back as Jack went to join his siblings, who stood at the left of Mother Nature. The woman gave Jack a nod of acknowledgment while Adam drew him onto another hug. Mara did the same, as did Willow, much to Jack's surprise. Once the greetings were complete, and the nature spirits adjusted to the presence of the Guardians, Gaia addressed the group.

"We gather here, to honor our lost. Our lost friends, brothers, sisters, loved ones. And the ones we do not know the name of, whom we never took time to know, or realize are gone. We honor them," Nature paused, allowing the spirits before her to weep and grieve as they needed.

She brandished her hand over the ground. From the indicated area, a cluster of flowers sprouted, the blossoms a beautiful, pure white.

"The buds are to represent our lost. Be they for your loved ones or one of the unknown, I wish us all to pay tribute." To set example, the regal woman bent down and plucked one of the snowy flowers. She drifted to the Oasis, hovering at the threshold and placed the blossom at the edge of the tees, stood with her head bowed for a moment, then stood to the side.

The spirits remained still for a moment, then they all filed one by one to the cluster of flowers. Each took at least one – some took as many as four – and placed them along the tree line, whispering the names of their lost through their tears or simply bowing in respectful silence. It was well into the night by the time the flow of spirits dwindled down. Only a handful of flowers remained, and only the four seasonals had yet to step up.

Adam stepped forward first, plucking one flower. He placed in among the others, only bowing his head in silence; he'd never lost anyone to the fire monster. Willow followed, taking another bloom, whispering a name along with hers, and much to the surprise of her siblings, breaking down into tears. She filed back, and Adam comforted her while Mara went forward. Like Adam, she only bowed in respect for the lost that no one missed, and joined the Fall spirit in comforting the Spring. That left Jack.

He walked slowly to the remaining flowers – only two, he noticed, finding it fitting – and stooped to pluck them. Everyone watched him as he moved, the only survivor. He could feel the eyes digging into him and forced back a shudder. Jack stood at the edge, staring into the trees with the flowers cupped in his hands. Then, slowly, he placed the flowers on the ground, side by side with their stems intertwined. It was appropriate, he decided.

"Fynn and Cassandra," he whispered, fighting not to chock on his words. "You were the reason I made it out, and I respect that. I miss you," he admitted.

He stepped back, giving a start as the other Guardians moved forward, each holding a flower of their own, long white roses. Bunny's doing, Jack thought. They each placed a flower with the others, giving respectful silence for the unknown. It couldn't be enough, Jack thought miserably, even with everyone giving honor to at least one, it was not enough to truly honor everyone who'd died in that place.

North wrapped an arm around Jack's shoulders, offering support and comfort. Mother Nature gave the Guardians a nod at the gesture, then turned to address the crowd.

"We've honored, and now we eliminate the place in which they were taken." She turned back to the trees, giving another wave of her hand. The Oasis shudder, shimmered. Then the trees caved in, sinking into the sand until the desert swallowed it up with a puff of dust.

The dust settled in the air, twisting into humanoid forms. Rather than fading, the figures became clearer, revealing ghostly forms. There were gasps in the crowd, first of shock and then of recognition. It was ironic that there should be ghosts, considering that the dead had already been spirits, but it seemed that they were indeed ghosts. There were names of loved ones cried out as the apparitions moved through the crowd. Jack watched the spectral figures in stunned bewilderment, searching the figures for the familiar faces of his friends. And then he saw them.

It was so wrong, to see them transparent and colorless, barely glimmers of who they were. But it was still them, and it made Jack's heart thrill and ache all at once. They were together, hands clasped as the wandered through the crowd, and there was something so right about that. It made Jack smile and eased the pain in his chest.

Cassy turned and caught sight of him. A smile broke across her translucent face and she tugged Fynn's arm until he too turned to look. Jack pulled out of North's grasp, making his way over to the ghostly forms of his friends. They both had bright smiles and Jack returned them with a watery one of his own. It was so good to see them again. Fynn grinned at him with pride and gave a nod. The two waved and Jack did the same.

Their figures shimmered, and then faded all together.

He thought that maybe it should have felt like losing them all over again. Instead he felt at peace. Happy that they moved on, and were at peace themselves. He felt a large hand on his shoulder, and he looked up to see North smiling at him. The other spirits had already trailed away, leaving only the Guardians left.

"Let us go home, my boy. We will have milk and cookies."

"Is that your answer for everything?" Jack asked with a laugh.

"Is good answer."

Jack just laughed again and let North steer him to the sleigh. He gave one last look to where the Oasis last stood. It finally and truly over, and he felt at peace. He looked at his fellow Guardians.

He felt safe and loved. Settling into the benches as the sleigh took off, he laughed as Bunny stiffened in fear at North's driving and it felt far more full and real than any he'd given in fifty years.

He sighed in his safety and contentment. He was ready for those cookies, he thought with a smile, glancing up at the stars and Moon over the Sahara before they vanished as a portal dropped them home.

It was good to be home.

**There we go, it was hard to find an end. Again I must thank everyone for their support. I hope the ending was good enough.**


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